Billions
of pounds are to be spent as the time comes to decommission the infrastructure
that has kept the UK’s energy flowing for the past 50 years, says a report.
Offshore
Energies UK (OEUK), the leading representative body for the UK’s offshore
energy industry, will publish its Decommissioning Insight report next week,
predicting a surge in decommissioning activity over the next 3-4 years.
Decommissioning is the process of withdrawing offshore energy infrastructure
from use once it’s no longer needed or at the end of its lifecycle.
The report
looks at the sector’s performance for 2021 and the challenges and opportunities
in the decade ahead. It will be launched November 22 at OEUK’s annual Offshore Decommissioning Conference.
The growing
demand for the service will generate billions of pounds worth of work for UK
companies, especially for energy communities based near the central and
northern North Sea.
Such
opportunities also bring challenges – including spikes in demand for supply
chain services, along with competition for resources and skills generated by
the expansion of renewables.
OEUK’s
Decommissioning Manager Ricky Thomson said: “The decommissioning opportunity is
growing, as well as demand for supply chain services.
“With
the right action from the industry, billions of pounds worth of work could be
scored for industrial communities across the country.
“We
must collaborate across energies to make sure we can capture the lion’s share
of work in the UK and make the most of this decommissioning surge.”