scholarly journals Decommissioning of offshore man-made installations: Taking an ecosystem approach

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
European Marine Board
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Devices ◽  
The North ◽  
Operational Life ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Near Future

We are entering a legacy era for the offshore oil and gas industry. As operations ramp down, could scientific evidence hold the key to reducing economic cost and environmental impact of full decommissioning?This Policy Brief assesses the role of marine science in reducing the environmental impact of decommissioning and highlights the scientific questions that now need to be answered to settle the debate on what should be done with these structures. Recent estimates suggest that there are currently around 1,350 oil and gas installations in the North Sea and North Atlantic regions and 1,800 offshore wind turbines in North Sea region alone. And this number is rising. The total cost of full decommissioning of oil and gas installations in the North Sea alone for the period 2015 to 2040 is estimated at between US$70 and US$82 billion. The numbers of installations requiring decommissioning is also set to increase dramatically as renewable energy devices begin reaching the end of their operational life, and as plans for exploiting renewable energy sources in the near future grow. Globally, industry and governments are embracing different decommissioning approaches, from full removal to the production of artificial reefs. The question of what is best for the environment is still to be answered.The INSITE programme, highlighted in this Policy Brief as novel model which could be implemented more widely, is a unique collaboration between leading energy companies and research. It is already funding research which is exploring the influence of man-made structures on the marine ecosystem in order to provide a solid scientific basis for future decision-making.Ultimately, appropriate decisions need to be made in the very near future regarding the decommissioning of oil and gas and renewable energy structures. At present, there remains a need for more scientific research to better inform the decision-making process regarding their fate.

Future wind energy resources in the North Sea as predicted by CMIP6 models

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea N. Hahmann ◽  
Alfredo Peña ◽  
Sara C. Pryor ◽  
Graziela Luzia
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Wind Resources

<p>Net carbon dioxide emissions have to be brought down to zero in the coming decades to hold the rise in global temperature in this century below the 2°C from pre-industrial levels. This target implies a fundamental transformation of the global energy system that will have to rely heavily on renewable energy sources. Among these, the harvesting of electricity from the wind plays an important role. Yet, climate change itself can impact the supply of renewable energy. Therefore, national climate mitigation plans need to make informed decisions regarding any changes to future extractable wind resources to consider the possible risks.</p><p>In this work, we explore the changes in wind climatology over the North Sea in the different shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) emission scenarios as identified by the output of a selection of CMIP6 simulations. Many northern European countries rely on the wind resources of the North Sea for climate mitigation. As a first step, however, we validate various aspects of the wind speed and direction and their variability in the historical CMIP6 simulations as compared to multiple long-term reanalyses. The work also includes calculations of annual energy production for existing and planned wind farms in the North Sea and how these could change in the coming decades.</p>

scholarly journals Benthic and Fish Interactions With Pipeline Protective Structures in the North Sea

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Redford ◽  
Sally Rouse ◽  
Peter Hayes ◽  
Thomas A. Wilding
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Exclusion Zone ◽  
The North ◽  
Operational Life ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Protective Structures ◽  
Fish Interactions

An increasing number of pipelines and associated protective materials in the North Sea are reaching the end of their operational life and require decommissioning. Identifying the optimal decommissioning option from an environmental perspective requires an understanding of ecological interactions; currently there is little knowledge as to species associations with pipelines and associated protective materials. This study utilises industry ROV footage from the North Sea to quantify these interactions. A total of 58 taxa were identified, including 41 benthic taxa and 17 fish taxa. Taxa were grouped into seven groups for analysis including four groups for benthic epifauna: grazers, suspension/filter feeders, decapods, and colonial/encrusting taxa. Fish were organised into three groups: pollock, other fish, and other gadoids. Using zero-inflated generalised linear mixed models, we show that abundances of benthic epifauna and fish vary between types of protective structure (e.g., concrete mattresses, rock dump), depth, levels of fishing effort and proximity to oil and gas platforms. Six taxa groups exhibited higher abundances on concrete mattresses than bare pipelines with benthic epifaunal decapods showing the highest difference at 3.04 (1.83, 4.84, 95% CrI) times higher on mattresses compared to bare pipelines. Six groups were higher in abundance within the 500 m fisheries exclusion zone around platforms, compared to outside of the zone, with other gadoids showing the highest difference at 1.83 times (1.09, 2.89, 95% CrI) times higher inside zones. Five groups decreased in abundance with an increase in fishing effort, with the biggest effect observed on grazers which decreased in abundance by 28% (14 – 40, 95% CrI) per 50 h of fishing. We show that pipelines and protective materials are operating as artificial reefs, and our results suggest that removal of infrastructure could result in the loss of habitat and species.

Extending Production Life of Mature Fields in the North Sea with Multilateral Technology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Kelsey ◽  
Magnus Raaholt ◽  
Olav Einervoll ◽  
Rustem Nafikov ◽  
Stian Amble
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Construction Costs ◽  
The North ◽  
Economic Production ◽  
Successful Case ◽  
Isolation Methods ◽  
Cumulative Production ◽  
The North Sea

Abstract Multilateral technology has for nearly three decades extended the production life of fields in the North Sea by delivering a higher recovery factor supported by the cumulative production of the multiple laterals. Additionally, operators continue to look at methods to reduce the environmental impact of drilling and intervention. Taking advantage of the latest multilateral technology can turn otherwise unviable reservoirs into economically sound targets by achieving a longer field life while minimizing construction costs, risk, and environmental impact. This paper will focus on mature fields in the region that have used multilateral applications for wells that were reaching the end of their life and have been extended to further economic production. This paper discusses challenges faced to provide a multilateral solution for drilling new lateral legs in existing wells where there is a lack of available slots to drill new wells. Additionally, discussion will cover completion designs that tie new laterals into existing production casing. The case study will include discussion of workover operations, isolation methods, and lateral creation systems. The paper focuses on the challenges, solutions, and successful case study of a retrofit multilateral well constructed in the North Sea which extended production life in a mature field by using innovative multilateral re-entry methods. The paper also provides insight as to methodology for continually improving reliability of multilateral installations to maximize efficiencies.

scholarly journals A prospective observational study of why people are medically evacuated from offshore installations in the North Sea

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e037558
Author(s):  
Anne Waje-Andreassen ◽  
Øyvind Østerås ◽  
Guttorm Brattebø
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Record System ◽  
The North ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
Offshore Installations ◽  
Severity Scores ◽  
The North Sea

ObjectivesFew studies have described evacuations due to medical emergencies from the offshore installations in the North Sea, though efficient medical service is essential for the industrial activities in this area. The major oil- and gas-producing companies’ search and rescue (SAR) service is responsible for medical evacuations. Using a prospective approach, we describe the characteristics of patients evacuated by SAR.Design and settingA prospective observational study of the offshore primary care provided by SAR in the North Sea.MethodsPatients were identified by linking flight information from air transport services in 2015/2016 and the company’s medical record system. Standardised forms filled out by SAR nurses during the evacuation were also analysed. In-hospital information was obtained retrospectively from Haukeland University Hospital’s information system.ResultsA total of 381 persons (88% men) were evacuated during the study period. Twenty-seven per cent of missions were due to chest pain and 18% due to trauma. The mean age was 46.0 years. Severity scores were higher for cases due to medical conditions compared with trauma, but the scores were relatively low compared with onshore emergency missions. The busiest months were May, July and December. Weekends were the busiest days.ConclusionThree times as many evacuations from offshore installations are performed due to acute illness than trauma, and cardiac problems are the most common. Although most patients are not severely physiologically deranged, the study documents a need for competent SAR services 24 hours a day year-round. Training and certification should be tailored for the SAR service, as the offshore health service structure and geography differs from the structure onshore.

scholarly journals Ecological and Economic Benefits of the “Medium” Level of the Building Thermo-Modernization: A Case Study in Poland

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 4509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janusz Adamczyk ◽  
Robert Dylewski
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Heat Source ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Energy Resources ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Energy Devices

Energy saving is at the heart of sustainable development in the context of climate change. Saving energy is not only the amount of energy that we save, but also reducing emissions of pollutants to the atmosphere, as well as reducing the consumption of energy resources that are used to produce energy. Reducing pollutant emissions and the use of energy resources can be achieved by increasing the use of renewable energy sources, but at present, this method of obtaining energy in the world is not representative. It should be noted that renewable energy devices throughout the life cycle generate environmental impact. Similar to this situation, the building’s thermo-modernization, which is focused on reducing the pressure on the environment of the building’s user, also has an impact on the environment throughout the building’s life cycle. Determining this environmental impact and ecological or economic benefits or costs is the purpose of the following article. Thermo-modernization of the building, for the purposes of the article, is understood as thermal insulation of walls and replacement of the heat source for heating the building and preparation of hot utility water. The need to replace the heat source with a much more ecological one results in Poland from provincial legal regulations announced by virtue of a resolution. In the study, data from the Ecoinvent data library included in the SimaPro computer program was used for the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) analysis. As a result of thermo-modernization of the representative buildings, large ecological benefits were obtained, while economic costs remain at a high level.

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