Centrica Energy have awarded Atkins with a multi disciplinary pre-FEED (Front End Engineering Design) decommissioning contract.

The five year agreement will see Atkins provide the UK energy company with engineering and design services.

The agreement applies to any fields Centrica decides to decommission in the UK or Netherlands during the contract period.

Alex Campbell, managing director of Atkins’ oil and gas business, said: “We are looking forward to building on our existing relationship with Centrica and continuing our partnership providing structural and subsea integrity services for their offshore assets. As more oil and gas infrastructure begins to reach the end of its design life, multi-industry expertise and decommissioning experience from the nuclear sector, as well as the oil and gas industry, has become an important differentiator for Atkins in winning work.”

“Combining our established knowledge of these assets and our substantial experience across the lifecycle of oil and gas structures means that Atkins is in a unique position to offer a complete integrated solution. It’s been a cross-business effort, drawing on the skills and expertise of a number of people in our offices across the UK.”

Myrtle Dawes, projects director for Centrica Energy in the UK and the Netherlands, said: “We are determined to maximise the potential of all our assets in the North Sea, but in a mature region like the UK Continental Shelf the industry must also think about how we decommission our offshore platforms, subsea infrastructure and pipelines.

“As we begin our decommissioning work with Atkins, our focus will be on completing the job as safely as possible and in an environmentally responsible way.”

Active in decommissioning for 15 years, Atkins has worked on decommissioning for BP Thistle, Miller and North West Hutton, Fairfield Dunlin, Shell Brent D and TOTAL E&P UK’s subsea systems amongst others.

Source: Offshore Energy Today