The method and
standards employed in the decommissioning and abandonment of offshore oil and
gas pipeline assets at the end of their useful life are determined by a
framework of national legislation, international protocols and treaties, and
corporate governance standards. The framework will impose legal obligations
upon operators to ensure marine environments are protected. Fines and
penalties may be imposed if the asset owner fails to meet these requirements.
A regulatory, or any
similar, body will not prescribe a detailed planning process. Nonetheless, the
body will usually expect to approve details from an asset owner on how the
decommissioned activities will be planned, executed, and monitored within the
regulatory framework. Additional requirements from other stakeholders within an
operating company and corporate governance standards will also impose
obligations on the decommissioning project.
The decision to decommission a pipeline is often complicated
by a long list of technical, business, and safety issues. For example, a
pipeline may need to be completely removed from the seabed due to changes in
legislation governing marine environments since installation. This may be
potentially very costly and carry a high consequence of failure during
execution, because the pipe spools may not be in satisfactory condition in
order to be lifted from the seabed, e.g. due to internal corrosion. If a decommissioning
activity is not thoroughly examined and planned, the consequences of failure
may become apparent at a later, critical, phase of the decommissioning
activity. Safer, more ‘traditional’, options may become less clear-cut during
the planning and execution and result in simply ‘road blocking’ the project.
Therefore, the need for the development of a clear and thorough decommissioning
programme to guide, assist, adjudicate and support decision-making at critical
junctures in the project development is crucial. This exercise will also help
to determine a low risk, cost effective and technically feasible option for
decommissioning each pipeline, taking into consideration the various technical,
environmental, safety, and regulatory challenges that are often encountered
whilst working on decommissioning projects.
Source :
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar