There are about 2,250 oil and gas wells on the NCS that sooner or later must be permanently plugged and abandoned. According to Norwegian operators’ activity plans, about 250 of these will be plugged during the next few years.
“Plugging is a key part of future activities on the NCS, so it’s important that we perform this work safely, while at the same time developing new technologies and techniques, and sharing our experiences and lessons learned”, said Finn Carlsen, Havtil's director of professional competence, in his introduction.
Sharing experience
The aim of the seminar was to give all actors in the sector an opportunity to offer input to the development of new technologies, techniques and materials in the field of plugging and abandonment.
The programme focused primarily on the sharing of information about new technologies that are currently qualified and in use in the industry, and the ongoing development and testing of new materials and technologies.
Several speakers pointed out that the sharing of knowledge and non-sensitive data will boost the chances of success with future permanent plugging operations. This applies in particular to the qualification of cumulative casing cement lengths. If the entire sector performs more individual qualification testing and shares these data, all actors will be able to learn from each other, thus enhancing the industry as a whole.