Last modified: 05 Oct 2026 12:17
Offshore oil and gas decommissioning is here to stay and is increasingly being regarded as a normal aspect of doing business in the oil and gas industry, alongside exploration, development and production.
This course provides an in-depth understanding of the main issues in contemporary offshore oil and gas decommissioning, and develop student skills to analyse and evaluate the different decommissioning options which face society and oil and gas businesses.
The course takes an interdisciplinary approach to these issues, combining aspects of law, regulation, engineering, commercial and economics.
| Study Type | Postgraduate | Level | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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As oil and gas fields reach the end of their economic and technical lifespans, they must be decommissioned to return the environment to, as far as possible, its original state in a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly manner. This is a legal mandate, sanctioned by international law. Decommissioning is a highly complex process, requiring highly skilled operations and personnel. The global oil and gas decommissioning industry is now worth a massive $340 billion. In the UK alone, close to $1.8 billion is expected to be spent on decommissioning oil and gas facilities annually. Decommissioning is increasingly being regarded as a normal aspect of doing business in the oil and gas industry, alongside exploration, development and production;
The course objectives are;
Specific topics include;
At the end of this course, students should acquire detailed understanding of the major issues in offshore oil and gas decommissioning, across a wide variety of themes. They will be able to assess and evaluate different critical dimensions of decommissioning from a variety of perspectives.
Special attention is given to issues in the UKCS and the North Sea but owing to the nature of decommissioning, these issues invariably overlap other basins across the globe, and therefore the knowledge and skills gained are transferable to other decommissioning contexts around the world.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 85 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
2,500-3,000 word written assessment |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | To critically assess the processes and options involved in a decommissioning workflow. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | To apply economic principles to critically analyse operators strategic investment decisions as to when to permanently cease production and decommission oil and gas facilities. |
| Factual | Understand | To develop knowledge and understanding of the international legal regime on oil and gas prospecting and decommissioning and how these flow on to regional and national regimes on same. |
| Procedural | Analyse | To analyse business models, contracting and methods to mitigate risk within decommissioning processes. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Economically evaluate how different government taxation decisions impact on decommissioning and economic recovery of oil and gas reserves. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
2x MCQ worth 7.5% each, duration: 30-45 mins |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
2,500-3,000 word written assessment |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Evaluate | Economically evaluate how different government taxation decisions impact on decommissioning and economic recovery of oil and gas reserves. |
| Procedural | Analyse | To analyse business models, contracting and methods to mitigate risk within decommissioning processes. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | To critically assess the processes and options involved in a decommissioning workflow. |
| Factual | Understand | To develop knowledge and understanding of the international legal regime on oil and gas prospecting and decommissioning and how these flow on to regional and national regimes on same. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | To apply economic principles to critically analyse operators strategic investment decisions as to when to permanently cease production and decommission oil and gas facilities. |
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