Study assessing use of satellite data for offshore decommissioning

Offshore staff

LONDON – The European Space Agency (ESA) has commissioned BMT to assess the feasibility of applying space-based data to support decommissioning of energy assets, including oil and gas platforms and wind farms.

While oil and gas decommissioning has been ramping up due to older installations reaching their end of useful lives, the wind farm decommissioning market is also emerging, BMT said, as facilities installed in the 1990s and early 2000s start to approach the end-of-life phase.

But these activities must be handled carefully handled to ensure minimized environmental impact due to the associated operational and financial risks to the owners.

According to BMT, earth observation data from satellites can provide a regional overview of the maritime environment, allowing operational data from decommissioning teams in the field to be interrogated in real time.

This could allow development of new types of commercial decommissioning solutions enabled by space data and via collaboration with established players in the sector.

Aims of the study include providing accurate information concerning sea and weather conditions, maritime traffic and environmental pollution.

This should provide improved scenario planning ahead of decommissioning, as well as minimizing/optimizing vessel use, resulting in lower fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Activity is funded via the UK Space Agency’s contribution to ESA’s Space Solutions program.

02/02/2021