Japan Section

2024-2025 3rd Distinguished Lecturer Program

Liability is Forever: Risk Elements in the Implementation of Decommissioning and Well P&A Dr Brian G Twomey (Reverse Engineering Services Ltd) Abstract: Include “What is the one idea you would like Members to take away” Facility decommissioning together with well plugging and abandonment (P&A), collectively known as D&A, is a critical element of any oil and gas project life cycle. Often, it is an afterthought, barely considered at the outset, particularly when production sharing contracts are negotiated and signed. Despite this vital activity costing as much (or occasionally more) than the initial project development, it seldom receives similar critical, scoping and planning attention that construction and drilling activities need to attain final investment decisions (FID). Frequently shunned due to costs and zero associated revenue, D&A remains largely misunderstood, neglected, or ignored during asset life. Experience illustrates that effective decommissioning must be planned years in advance of execution, ideally in parallel from the construction stage. Moreover, decommissioning should be managed as carefully as project development to mitigate looming liabilities for existing operators and future generations. This lecture shares optimal learnings and critical project reflections from projects globally. Biography: Dr. Brian Twomey established Reverse Engineering Services Ltd (RESL) over 30 years ago; a specialist consultancy solely focused on the decommissioning, abandonment, and recycling of onshore and offshore facilities, pipelines, wells, subsea systems and ships. He has more recently leveraged that experience to incorporate lessons learned during decommissioning in the petroleum industry to new and emerging arenas, including the offshore wind and nuclear industries. Brian has unique global expertise. He has decommissioned projects in every major petroleum province of the world, in many cases identifying unique innovative solutions. Additionally, Brian has helped formulate and shape national decommissioning policies and guidelines; he has assisted both regulators and operators in the optimal design and interpretation of national regulatory frameworks. Brian is a leading authority in developing the next generation of competence to address the tsunami of complex decommissioning projects which are rapidly being imposed on an unsuspecting worldwide industry. Over the past 12 years, Brian has served as a global trainer on decommissioning with SPE International on several continents. He holds BSc, MSc and PhD, MSc in Mechanical Engineering, Composite Materials, Plant Design & Applied Mechanics respectively from University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), UK.