Chief Executive Talks At All Energy

News Release - May 19, 2010

Companies planning to create offshore renewable energy operations could learn lessons from the past and take decommissioning seriously from the outset, according to a new industry forum.

Brian Nixon, chief executive of Decom North Sea, is taking the message to All Energy 2010, the UK's largest renewables show, taking place in Aberdeen against a backdrop of significant activity in the sector, including licenses being granted for nine vast offshore wind zones within UK waters, containing up to 6,000 turbines. Mr Nixon will cover decommissioning in a presentation on lessons learned from the oil & gas industry during the Windfarms and Infrastructure session on the Thursday (May 20) afternoon.

"There is an obligation on offshore wind developers to submit decommissioning plans and demonstrate how they will fund them at the end of project lifespans. Putting together such plans is new to many of them and Decom North Sea can offer support and lessons learned from past experiences in the oil & gas industry.

"Where the oil & gas industry did not always think ahead and consider what would happen to installations at the end of their lifespan, the people behind the ongoing wind developments can think about how they are getting infrastructure in place and how it will be taken away afterwards.

"By taking this action, they will ensure future projects are truly sustainable and environmentally appropriate, taking costs into the equation.''

He added: "We are reaching companies that operate in the oil & gas industry with the message that the time is right to start pursuing and preparing for decommissioning opportunities. All Energy gives us a platform to communicate with leading names in the fast-growing renewables sector the benefits of forward-thinking and planning.''

Decom North Sea was established last year in response to the needs of industry. The body is working to enhance knowledge transfer and facilitate collaborative activities to ensure the UK can capture maximum economic benefit from the £30billion decommissioning workload facing the North Sea over the next few decades.

Decom North Sea is finalising a programme of events, seminars and share fairs in collaboration with other energy development organisations and government agencies. The activity will cover the north-east, Highlands and Central Belt in Scotland and the north-east and south east in England where most of the potential supply chain for the decommissioning market is based.

The organisation is being funded initially by the UK government's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise, and plans over the next two years to build up sustainable revenues from events and membership fees.

Ends

Issued by thinkPR on behalf of Decom North Sea. For further information or to arrange an interview with Brian Nixon, chief executive of Decom North Sea, please contact Fiona McWhirr at thinkPR on +44 (0)7827 278725 or email Fiona@thinkpr.co.uk

Brian Nixon is speaking at the session on Offshore Windfarms and Infrastructure from 3.45pm - 5pm on the Thursday of All Energy (May 20).