With 1,500 wells due for decommissioning by 2030, NSTA calls for new P&A tech trials

Since around 1,500 wells will be due for decommissioning in the UKCS between 2026 and 2030, the UK regulator North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) said that this represents an opportunity for operators to test and adopt new well plugging and abandonment (P&A) technologies to cut costs and improve efficiency.

According to NSTA, with well P&A being the most expensive phase of the decommissioning process, technology developers have introduced alternative materials like resins, polymers, and bismuth, alongside advanced logging and perforating tools to streamline operations. 

However, despite ongoing advancements, many of these solutions remain untested in real-world conditions due to limited field trials.

The push for new P&A technologies comes with cost reduction remaining a top priority. Savings in this area benefit operators directly and reduce the financial burden of tax reliefs on the UK Exchequer, NSTA noted. 

“In the UK, we’re fortunate to have a supply chain which consistently produces ground-breaking technologies for offshore operations, including well decommissioning,” said Carlo Procaccini, Chief Technical Officer at the NSTA.

“However, the full potential of this innovation can only be unleashed if suppliers are given a chance to show what they can do in the field. With the current high volumes of well P&A activity, I encourage operators to offer field trials to progress innovation and make the most of the savings on offer.”

As NSTA said, technologies with a record of successful utilization in the UK are also likely to be in demand overseas as other oil and gas basins, such as Australia, Brazil, and the Gulf of Mexico, mature in the coming decades.

The NSTA continues to emphasize the need for operators to comply with well decommissioning obligations. To enforce these mandates, the authority uses data, guidance, and enforcement measures to keep projects on track.

“The NSTA is completely open to any technologies or techniques that have the potential to deliver efficient and effective well decommissioning. It’s imperative that operators and the supply chain understand the opportunities presented by the well stock on the UKCS and the NSTA provides a variety of data tools to support this. It’s also important that we share our challenges, ideas and successes so that, as a community, we can learn and improve together,” added Suzie Coull, Senior Wells Decommissioning Engineer at the NSTA.

Lewis Harper, Program Manager at the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC), highlighted the importance of supporting field trials to transform bold ideas into practical applications that could redefine future well decommissioning efforts.

Harper also urged UK operators to take the lead in this field, noting international interest and participation. He called on UK companies to provide in-kind access to assets for pilot projects to ensure the country remains at the forefront of P&A innovation.

While the oil and gas industry’s decommissioning activities accounted for 12% of total expenditure on the UKCS in 2023, Britain’s trade body for the offshore energy industry, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), in November 2024 outlined the possibility of an uptick to 33% by 2030 in its new report. As a result, decommissioning work could account for 22% of the cumulative oil and gas spend over the next ten years.

Meanwhile, the NSTA continues its crackdown on regulatory breaches. The UK regulator recently imposed a penalty of £125,000 (around $153,824) on a European affiliate of China’s state-owned oil and gas giant for breaching its venting consent on two separate occasions at a field located 60 miles northeast of Aberdeen.