Abstract
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell is under fire from environmental groups over its proposal to decommission the Brent oilfield in the North Sea. The plans submitted to the government relate to four concrete and steel platforms which have been in service for 40 years.
The environmental groups, which include WWF Scotland and Greenpeace UK, are refusing to back Shell’s plans. They claim the company has not made enough information public to properly cross-reference its proposals against the internationally agreed OSPAR rules that are supposed to govern decommissioning.
Shell is one of a number of oil producers looking at decommissioning now that many North Sea oil and gas fields are reaching the end of their productive lives. Decommissioning is a massive, expensive and technically challenging task; and Brent is seen as a test case for the rest of the UK industry.
The environmental groups, which include WWF Scotland and Greenpeace UK, are refusing to back Shell’s plans. They claim the company has not made enough information public to properly cross-reference its proposals against the internationally agreed OSPAR rules that are supposed to govern decommissioning.
Shell is one of a number of oil producers looking at decommissioning now that many North Sea oil and gas fields are reaching the end of their productive lives. Decommissioning is a massive, expensive and technically challenging task; and Brent is seen as a test case for the rest of the UK industry.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Specialist publication | The Conversation |
| Publisher | The Conversation UK |
| Publication status | Published - 13 Apr 2017 |
Keywords
- Scotland
- Shell
- North Sea oil
- Royal Dutch Shell
- Decommissioning