Synopsis

Decommissioning will play an important part in terms of the North Sea landscape over the coming decades including the drive for net zero and OGUK’s 2035 Roadmap. Accordingly, we are leveraging our capability and expertise in this area and transitioning into a Decommissioning Operator, through the creation of Fairfield Decom. This new entity represents the future of decommissioning in the North Sea – implementing innovative and novel commercial models, along with a fully integrated end-to-end technical solution that encourages simultaneous operations in order to improve efficiency and enhance predictability.

Every Decommissioning project faces its own unique challenges, however most will follow a similar process from COP, to Make Safe, infrastructure and topsides removal and through to final remediation. Here Graeme Fergusson discusses the challenges of decommissioning a first generation North Sea asset, the huge learnings that have been gleaned and how the model Fairfield has adapted and improved for the decommissioning of the Greater Dunlin Area deliver a new and exciting proposition that will meet the future needs of the North Sea oil and gas industry.

The Company

Fairfield is an experienced, late-life asset and decommissioning operator. Current focus is on the decommissioning of the Greater Dunlin Area incorporating Osprey and Merlin subsea satellite fields and associated infrastructure. This is a fully funded, multi-phase decommissioning project with complex challenges and opportunities to apply advanced technological solutions and innovation.

The Greater Dunlin Area is located in UK Block 211/23a and 211/24 of the UKCS, some 500km north-northeast of Aberdeen within the East Shetland Basin, and 11.2km from the boundary line with Norway.

The Greater Dunlin Area covers the Dunlin, Dunlin South West, Osprey and Merlin Fields in the Shetland Basin of the northern North Sea, for which the Dunlin Alpha platform served as the production facility until mid-2015. Four subsea Decommissioning Programmes have been approved for pipelines and structures for the Osprey and Merlin Fields, the Dunlin Fuel Gas Import and Power Import infrastructure, and for the Dunlin Alpha to Cormorant Alpha Pipeline (PL5).

Our Speaker

Graeme Fergusson is the MD of of Fairfield Decom Limited, a sister company of Fairfield Energy Limited.

Graeme joined Fairfield in September 2011, initially as Group Controller, before progressing to become Head of Finance and Company Secretary later in his tenure, when he was instrumental in delivering the commercial aspects of the transition of the Fairfield Group to become a decommissioning operator.

In December 2015, Graeme left the full time employment of the Company but now serves as a Non-Executive Director. A Chartered Accountant, Graeme initially trained locally in Aberdeen with Johnston Carmichael before an overseas posting with Ernst & Young. On his return he moved into Upstream Oil & Gas. He is a highly experienced Finance individual with stints at Kerr McGee, Ineos and most materially with BP in Finance Leadership roles in the North Sea, London and latterly Algeria.

In addition to his Non-Executive Directorship role with Fairfield, Graeme has been appointed as Managing Director of Decom Energy Limited, Fairfield’s parent company whose main focus is to develop the Group’s future strategic direction beyond the Dunlin Cluster Decommissioning Project.

Arrangements

Due to COVID-19 restrictions his event will be delivered by ‘Zoom’. If using a workplace computer to connect, please ensure your organisation allows access to the ‘Zoom’ software or alternatively use your private email address to subscribe. Zoom is FREE and you can register here https://zoom.us/signup?zcid=1231

Once your application is approved you will receive log-in details to join the webinar. We send these on the morning of the presentation to enable you to check the functionality. We strongly recommend you check the ‘Zoom’ connection before the broadcast.

Timings

4.50PM – Delegates join the webinar

5PM – Update from SEF Exec Sec.

5.05PM – Introduction by Chair Nicola Gordon.

5.10PM – Graeme Ferguson presentation.

5.45PM – Q&A

6.25PM – Vote of Thanks.

6.30PM – Webinar finishes

Booking Conditions

Please note that registering for an SEF event does not guarantee you a place until your request is processed and accepted by the SEF.  We will operate a 'wait list' if our events are over-subscribed with priority being afforded to members of the SEF.

During our events we actively encourage reasoned debate amongst the audience and with our invited speaker; however, we request that all participants are mindful and respectful to others points of view. Attendees who cannot abide by these simple courteous rules, or who disrupt proceedings or use defamatory remarks, will be invited to leave the presentation. We reserve the right to refuse entry. 

Scottish Energy Forum Board