Methodology for assessing environmental impacts of offshore installation abandonment and disposal
Many oil and gas producing fields in tile North Sea are now facing a period of production shut down and decommissioning as exploitable petroleum reserves in the earliest developments are decreasing. Most of the oil and gas fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) are located in areas with water depths in the range of 75-300 meters. Production installations on these fields are generally large, and removal of such installations may be costly and technically complex with high risk levels. It is therefore a major challenge to develop management tools for prioritizing and selection of abandonment solutions, to secure the best overall abandonment solution. Possibilities and problems associated with different abandonment and disposal options for installations should therefore be identified and assessed in detail on a case by case base. A specific methodology for performing Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and assessing impacts to the society of offshore installation abandonment and disposal is made. The methodology is based on the principles of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and is applicable for the whole spectrum of abandonment solutions including sea disposal, reuse, material recovery, and demolition. The methodology has so far been applied in four cases; three on the NCS and one on the UK Continental Shelf. The paper presents the principles which the methodology is based upon, with examples of application. Secondly, the paper presents how the results may be used in planning for decommissioning by oil operating companies. Finally, the paper focuses on general problems in performing such assessment work, and discuss how the methodology may be refined in the future.
- OSTI ID:
- 414729
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960623--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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