TheBeaconMagazinev2

THE BEACON MAGAZINE | FEATURE
19
“Nuclear is probably 10 years
ahead in the context of what it
takes to repurpose an organisation
from operation and production to
decommissioning”
Offshore oil platform
in the North Sea
transferable. Nuclear is probably 10 years
ahead in the context of what it takes to
repurpose an organisation from operation
and production to decommissioning and
waste management.
“It’s easy to dismiss these as soft skills and
take the view that it should be easy to tell
people to do something different. But it’s
not so easy to move big organisations in a
completely new direction –you have to win
hearts and minds to get buy-in and bring
about the necessary changes.”
The second area, says Bob, is technology.
Tools and systems developed in the
nuclear industry are transferable to oil
and gas, particularly the use of remotely
operated vehicles for handling hazardous
waste.
Other transferable skills are the
automation of dismantling large
structures, decontamination, waste
management and recycling of materials.
Oil and gas can also learn from the UK
nuclear industry’s use of lifetime plans
(LTP) for each site, which outline the work
required to operate, commission and clean
up the sites, and are overseen by the
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
(NDA).
This had led to huge cost savings for the
taxpayer and helped organisations to
repurpose themselves and make the
cultural changes needed. Meanwhile,
Programme Management ensured a
seamless transition from late life operation
to decommissioning.
Bob says: “We have been working in
nuclear decommissioning for 25 years and
we have seen how LTPs and programme
management have changed the landscape.
“When combined with our extensive oil and
gas skills and knowledge, this means we
are uniquely placed to bring this learning
to the North Sea, where we are already
shaping the new horizon and proactively
finding solutions. Our knowledge is now
increasingly sought after internationally
because we have the widest experience to
address the next steps boldly and at pace.
“If North Sea decommissioning is done
well, the prize is huge. There is an
opportunity to develop a world-leading
decommissioning industry whose
capabilities can be exported to other
global ageing basins, just as Amec Foster
Wheeler’s nuclear decommissioning skills
are now being applied at Chernobyl and
Fukushima.”
Unique set of skills
In the oil and gas sector, Amec Foster
Wheeler has implemented ‘More 4
Less’, a new approach which focuses
on efficiency, challenging assumptions
and driving new ways of thinking.
Craig Shanaghey, Director of Operations
of the Europe Offshore business, says:
“Applying this to the decommissioning
market, we believe developing a much
stronger link between late life asset
management and decommissioning is
the way forward. This means earlier
planning to facilitate strong contract
management that extracts value and
a proactive approach that protects the
value of assets, and assures the asset
effectively transfers from production to
decommissioning mode. Amec Foster
Wheeler is well placed to offer a different
mind-set and a unique set of skills
with the combination of our oil & gas
experience and our extensive nuclear
decommissioning experience. We can
maximise field life of our assets, and
effectively prepare for decommissioning
execution at minimum cost. That is how
we can deliver more for less.”
To find out more:
bob.churchill@amecfw.com