“With more than 7,000 wells in the North Sea scheduled for plug and abandonment by 2050, it is crucial to develop technology that can reduce the cost of the operation. Within our cluster, we have the companies, the competence and the technology to contribute,” says Knut Mjåland, CEO of GCE NODE.
This week, GCE NODE held the inaugural meeting of its P&A Forum, bringing together top expertise from some of the major – and minor – cluster companies. The meeting was held at SLB’s offices in Kristiansand.
P&A accounts for approximately half of the total cost of decommissioning. P&A is complex and very expensive. Thus, any effort to cut costs is welcomed by the operators and in also by the government which bears 72 per cent of the cost through tax write-offs.
A technology driven reduction of plugging and abandonment costs is at the core of SFI Subsurface Well Integrity Plugging and Abandonment (SWIPA) – a Center for Research-based Innovation, led by Harald Linga at SINTEF.
SWIPA brings together operators (Aker BP, Equinor, Harbour Energy, Vår Energi), leading R&D partners (SINTEF, NORCE, IFE, NTNU, UiS) and key industry players such as Baker Hughes, Archer, SLB and GCE NODE.
The center develops a scientific understanding of barrier materials, failure mechanisms and leak rates, enabling better designed, more predictable well barriers. This includes robustness testing of geopolymers, polymers and advanced cements, characterization of Bi alloys, and in line measurement systems for slurry properties.
Norway’s ambition of zero leakage for eternity and a 50% cost reduction demands solutions grounded in science rather than tradition.
A major cost driver today is casing removal, which can take days and requires expensive rigs. SWIPA’s work supports rigless P&A, the ultimate cost cutting pathway, and provides operators with validated methods for adopting new technology.
“We are the “Norwegian national team” for well integrity, combining infrastructure, international collaboration and scientific depth to modernize P&A technology,” says Harald Linga.
“We are keen on sharing insight and results and on working closely with the industry to develop better solutions that can cut cost significantly,” says Linga.
