Comparative Evaluation of Decommissioning Options in support of Derogation Proposals meeting

18 December 2019

OSPAR held an informal meeting on Comparative Evaluation of Decommissioning Options in support of Derogation Proposals in Aberdeen (UK) from 10-11 December 2019.

The United Kingdom presented the discussion paper drafted in cooperation with Germany in relation to the German proposal for the development of guidance for the comparative assessment of decommissioning options under OSPAR Decision 98/3. The paper provided an overview of currently applied methodologies and experience to date.

The meeting recognised that the derogation proposals were complicated, that a case-by-case approach was necessary when undertaking comparative assessments. The meeting agreed that the lessons learnt from past derogation cases should be considered and discussed the following issues:

  • Selection of criteria and sub-criteria.
  • Weightings
  • Independent assessment
  • Technical development
  • Stakeholders engagement
  • Documentation

The meeting recognised that the United Kingdom and Norway were the key Contracting Parties as all installations candidates for future derogation processes were in their respective waters. Although Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Greenpeace supported having a common methodology for the Comparative Assessment with a broad perspective that could lead to the appropriate considerations for operators and regulators, they welcomed the decision by the United Kingdom and Norway to review their national guidelines considering the discussions held at the meeting.

During the close out of the meeting there were some discussion on the potential benefits of developing a template or guidance to cover the presentation of information related to Annex 2 of the Decision. There was no agreement on whether guidance or a template for Annex 2 was required. Germany informed the meeting that they intend to submit a paper to OIC 2020 for consideration on the presentation of information outlined under Annex 2 of the Decision.

Further information https://www.gov.uk/guidance/oil-and-gas-decommissioning-of-offshore-installations-and-pipelines