Well decommissioning specialists Well-Safe Solutions have realised cost savings of £3.3m for a North Sea client, driven by an operational commitment to safe, smart and efficient methods of working.
The announcement follows a comprehensive review of rig and well operations, planning, logistics, and financials to deliver a holistic understanding of operational benefits.
The largest individual saving of £942,000 was suggested by Well-Safe’s well engineering team at the planning phase. It was calculated that the abandonment barrier on one well could be successfully created via two smaller milled windows, resulting in both a reduction of operational risk and milling time.
Patrick Nesbitt, Project Manager at Well-Safe Solutions, added: “The vast majority of savings were realised through considerable time savings, unlocked via innovative ways of working and the experience and communication of our dedicated plug and abandonment (P&A) teams with the client.
“For example, though effective planning, we determined that it would be more cost and time-efficient to conduct make up and break out works in Great Yarmouth as opposed to Aberdeen. This straightforward assessment and material change resulted in a saving of over £150,000 for our client.
“We are delighted with the results of this analysis, which provides measurable validation of our ways of working and the tangible benefits it realises.”
In normal circumstances, wells to be decommissioned are abandoned sequentially, with wireline-based intervention carried out to install barriers and remove any hydrocarbons present in the wellbore (stage AB0). The tubing is then removed with the BOP installed, with abandonment barriers set in place (stages AB1 and AB2). Conductor cutting and recovery is then generally performed as a batch operation, as part of stage AB3.
Well-Safe managed to save the client 15 hours of operational activity every time the blow-out preventer (BOP) was off the well, by ‘hopping’ it between wells.
This avoided the removal of choke and kill hoses along with the bell nipple, which is normally a time-consuming process. This procedure enabled the high-pressure riser to be removed, the rig to be skidded to its new location, the tree to be removed, and the high-pressure riser to be reinstalled – all while the BOP remained suspended, increasing the value of savings for the client.
James Richards, Well Abandonment Director at Well-Safe Solutions, said: “Our desire to reduce the cost of decommissioning for our clients is built around the efficient capturing, retention and sharing of knowledge between our personnel, our clients and project stakeholders.
“As part of a comprehensive ‘lessons learned’ process, we reviewed operations following the conclusion of the engineering, contractor management and logistics services we provided.
“These learnings are directly applied to the planning phase of subsequent projects, delivering safer and efficient operations and ensuring greater collaboration between teams. This enables us to share best practice across the industry, driving collaboration while streamlining both costs and time.”
Well-Safe Solutions’ safe, smart and efficient way of working enables the company to realise significant cost savings on behalf of the client, without compromising operational or personal safety.
