To improve cross industry understanding of well-related issues on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) Oil & Gas UK has today (July 21) released updated guidelines for the abandonment of wells together with accompanying guidance on generating cost estimates to support this activity.
Oonagh Werngren, Oil & Gas UK’s operations director, said: “The first guidelines on well abandonment were produced in 1994 and the documents published today are testament to the industry’s collective and continuing commitment to regularly review and improve safety and performance in all aspects of well practices.
“Oil & Gas UK developed this fifth issue of the guidelines with well-operators from member companies and other stakeholders to clarify good practice. These guidelines represent just two of over thirty peer-reviewed guidelines published to date by Oil & Gas UK to raise the professional standards of the industry – an outstanding contribution the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) recognised when it presented the Premier Award Medal for Excellence to the trade association last week.
“As the sector steps up its effort to tackle its cost base and improve efficiency, the guidelines on well abandonment cost estimation provide industry with a common framework in which to generate more consistent and complete cost estimates. Oil & Gas UK has now produced nine separate guidelines on aspects of well operations including competency, relief well planning and blow out prevention, to outline good practice to improve safety and performance throughout the life cycle of wells. In producing the guidelines, Oil & Gas UK’s intention is to provide guidance, rather than standards, to support the regulations and associated advice issued by the regulator.”