UK launches new oil decommissioning guidance notes
The UK's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has published new guidance notes for the decommissioning of offshore
oil and gas installations.
The UK is said to be the first country in Europe to implement key decisions of the OSPAR international environmental
convention, which effectively ban almost all sea disposal of offshore oil and gas installations.
UK Energy Minister, Helen Liddell said "The decommissioning of offshore installations is inevitable and it must be
done in accordance with domestic legislation and all our international commitments. This guide is a significant step
in managing this process" Offshore oil and gas operators will now be required to submit Decommissioning Programmes
for approval. In most cases, installations will be returned to shore for dismantling or to be reused elsewhere.
Liddell added "The Government is keen to encourage reuse. I welcome the recent Inland Revenue announcement extending
tax relief to the costs of making oil installations and pipelines available for reuse."
