Rothie Projects Limited
Specialist Consultants to the Oil & Gas Decommissioning Industry
SERVICES
You operate an oil and gas facility, end of field life is in sight, you have obligations to abandon, decommission, possibly remove the facility and restore the natural environment. No problem.
Decommissioning Strategy
We can help you determine the decisions you need to make for your project; find and present the information you need to make them.
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We IDENTIFY feasible options and the criteria on which to ASSESS and compare them, then assist you with the methods and tools to allow you to SELECT the optimum option for your operation and your relationship with the regulatory bodies, ensuring you move forward with the right project.
Front End Engineering
We can DEFINE the details of your project. We manage the development of cost estimates, schedule & risk management. Leading the front end engineering and design (FEED), promoting low cost engineering solutions, determining implementation effort through site surveys, data mining and collection.
We understand that effort expended in the Front End of the project ensures the project is executed at the right time with the right resources with minimal surprises.
Execution Management
In project EXECUTION we manage your engineering and offshore implementation effort to ensure the project boundaries, cost and schedule are maintained.
We keep your project on track by hands on management, onshore or offshore, paying attention to the details with a full understanding of the interfaces and interactions between scopes, contractors, operations and functions.
We understand the difference between engineering for decommissioning and engineering for development.
ABOUT
Rothie Projects is an independent decommissioning consultancy in the oil & gas industry based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
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Rothie Projects has been providing project management services to the oil & gas industry since it's inception in 2007. Our consultant, having over 30 years relevant industry experience, very quickly realised that in a mature engineering and construction environment, the decommissioning industry presented the most interesting and underdeveloped challenges. And that's where we have focused our direction since 2008.
We are not a volume business, we prefer to work with clients that give us the opportunity to provide real value with our service whilst at the same time providing a healthy work life balance for our team.
We are proud to play our part in an industry that decommissions old and inefficient facilities, removes them and creates numerous re-use and recycling opportunities, ultimately restoring the environment back to it's natural state.
We work equally well independently or interfacing with your own operation or contractors.
PROJECTS
NUI Decommissioning
Client : Spirit Energy
Field : Confidential
Location : UKCS
Project Phase : Select, Define, Execution
Contracting through Genesis Oil & Gas Ltd, Rothie Projects were requested to support Spirit Energy in the development of the SELECT phase decisions and deliverables for the decommissioning of 2 similar Normally Unattended Installations (NUIs) in the UKCS. Working with Spirit Energy to understand their own governance systems and procedures, we helped to breakdown the complexities of the project into manageable studies such that Spirit's own governance and peer review team could easily understand the project, ultimately leading to successful approval of the gate and progressing to the DEFINE phase.
Working very closely with Spirit's selected Decommissioning Service Contractor (DSC), Rothie Projects, acting on Spirit's behalf, provided guidance and consultancy to the DSC on fit for purpose engineering and decommissioning industry best practice to ensure that the project definition was accurate and took account of the intricacies of the facilities such that a reliable cost and schedule could be developed for the project. When the DEFINE package was presented to the Spirit's review team and subjected to scrutiny, the project was given “Green Lights” in every area of the governance criteria, a first for Spirit Energy. Rothie Projects is proud to have contributed.
Given the success of the project through SELECT and DEFINE phases, Rothie Projects was requested, and happily agreed to provide further support through the EXECUTION phase. Leading the interface between Spirit's asset team, technical function and Well Plug and Abandonment contractor; Rothie Projects has guided the DSC through the safe execution of the facilities engineering down and making safe scope in readiness for final removal preparations.
Rothie Projects continued involvement with the project saw our consultant being requested to manage the delivery of Heavy Lift Removal preparations and Onshore Disposal workscopes. Working closely with Spirit's selected removal and disposal contractor,
our consultant provided onshore technical guidance and detailed workscope reviews to support the removal contractor with the technicalities of the facilities. Ultimately, acting as offshore client representative, our consultant assisted the removal contractor through the safe and successful offshore execution Preparation for Removal campaign. Heavy lift of 2 topisdes took place during 2020
and 2021. Our consulatant, acting as Client Representative for the second of the two heavy lifts by the Pioneering Spirit Single lift vessel, for vessel mobilisation from Norway, transit to the East Irish Sea where the heavy lift took place, transport to the Scottish East Coast for transfer to a barge for load-in. The entire expereince being an unforgetable career highlight for our consultant. Onwards to onshore disposal, our consultant worked closely with the removal contractor and onshore disposal facility to prepare and monitor onshore dismantling and final disposal of the NUI topsides.
Onshore dismantling and disposal was sucessfully completed in Q1 of 2023.
Having been involved with Spirit Energy for this project from development of the SELECT phase right through offshore EXECUTION and on to onshore disposal, Rothie Projects is very proud and grateful for the opportunity to have worked with Spirit Energy and to have made a significant contribution to the sucess of the project.
Topside Engineering Down and Cleaning, Post CoP Operations
Client : Confidential
Field : Confidential
Location : UKCS
Project Phase : Concept Select
Contracting through Genesis Oil & Gas Ltd, Rothie Projects were requested to project manage the Concept Select Phase of a Topside EDC, Post CoP Power Generation and Post CoP Operation project for a North Sea Operator with 3 platforms approaching CoP.
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The Operator has 3 platforms, all in late life with CoP approaching. Their portfolio and cash flow planning indicates Well P&A and final removal some years in the future. The Operator required all hydrocarbon systems, subsea, topside, and export to be subject to EDC and postive isolation such that maintenance and integrity burden can be rationalised. In the period leading up to Well P&A, with no fuel gas available, a new power generation system is required. And with rationalised maintenance there is an opportunity to install remote monitoring facilities and transition to a Not Normally Manned mode of operation.
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Our consultant project managed a multi-discipline engineering team and lead a number of independent studies for EDC, power generation and operating modes, culminating in an integrated option selection process for each of the 3 platforms where the topside EDC and pipeline cleaning campaigns were defined, and a power generation concept and remote monitoring concept for each platform was determined. Ultimately the integrated option selection process highlighted safety and economic considerations for each of the 3 platforms, leading to recommendations that one platform is suitable for NNA operations and two platforms retaining a permanent but reduced manning profile.
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The Operator was sufficently impressed with the quality of the output that Genesis Oil & Gas Ltd have been sole sourced for the next phase of the project, with Rothie Projects consultant requested to project manage.
Floating Wind Turbine Recycling Study
Client : Confidential
Field : Confidential
Location : Southern Europe
Project Phase : Development Project Pre-Approval
Contracting through Genesis Oil & Gas Ltd, Rothie Projects were requested to assist a Floating Wind Turbine field developer understand and demonstrate their future decommissioning and disposal liabilities for a proposed floating wind turbine development.
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The operator planned to develop a floating wind turbine field and as part of their tender to do so, required to demonstate their full understanding of the decommissioning, restoration and disposal regulatory framework and to quantify the construction materials that would be re-used, recycled and sent to landfill.
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Rothie Projects carried out a review of applicable national and regional regulations and guidance for the proposed location to provide the client with their regulatory obligations. We reviewed the design documentation for the development inlcuding floating structures, control & communication systems and subsea moorings (the tower and generation components were excluded) and generated a detailed inventory of the materials of construction and their proposed disposal strategy, we advised on potnetial alternative options that would maximise recovery of materials. This allowed the client to make adjustments in design materials and construction philosophies to maximise the opportunites for recovery, re-use and recycling and minimise the materials likley to be sent to landfill.
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Jacket Derogation
Client : Confidential
Field : Confidential
Location : UKCS
Project Phase : Decommissioning Program Development
Contracting through Genesis Oil & Gas Ltd, Rothie Projects were requested to provide the technical input for the comparative assessment for potential jacket derogation.
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The operator required to submit decommissioning programmes to OPRED, the UK regulator for 3 facilities. The jackets for all 3 facilities were over 10,000 Te and were installed prior to 9th February 1999. Therefore, under the terms of OSPAR decision 98/3, if it can be demonstrated by comparative assessment, they were candidates for derogation and the jacket footings could be decommissioned in situ.
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Rothie Projects carried out the technical evaluation of all feasible removal methods of the jackets and footings. In conjunction with Genesis Oil & Gas Ltd proprietary databases, was able to determine for each feasible method, outline costs, schedules, equipment & vessel spreads this providing all the technical data to allow a comparative assessment to be made and a case for derogation to be suitably justified within the decommissioning program
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Onshore Plant Decommissioning Liability Estimating
Client : Confidential
Field : Onshore plant
Location : UKCS
Project Phase : Decommissioning Liability
Contracting through Genesis Oil & Gas Ltd, Rothie Projects were requested to provide a detailed decommissioning methodology and accompanying cost estimate for future liability purposes.
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The operator had previously held decommissioning liability estimates for their plant. The liability estimate had been subject to incremental increases year on year. For this exercise the operator required a refreshed liability estimate with a defined decommissioning strategy such that the cost estimate was fully demonstrable.
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Rothie Projects developed a decommissioning methodology for the site. All waste streams were identified and a disposal strategy developed for all waste and resultant commodities An investigation of previous projects was undertaken and out turn costs compared with estimates to ensure the baseline data was correct in each Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Demolition contractors were engaged to verify cost and schedule estimates to ensure that the liability estimate was fully justifiable and demonstrable.
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Onshore Disposal Yard Review
Client : Confidential
Field : n/a
Location : UKCS
Project Phase : n/a
Contracting through Genesis Oil & Gas Ltd, Rothie Projects was requested by a local government authority to review all the potential onshore disposal sites in their area to determine their capabilities and state of readiness to take advantage of the future decommissioning workload.
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Rothie Projects provided an outline of all the expected oil & gas facilities that could be brought onshore and estimated the required resource in order to undertake the potential disposal work; i.e. acreage, permits & consents, waste management facilities, equipment, personnel, access to transportation.
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Each facility within the local authority area was contacted and their facilities investigated.
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Rothie Projects provided a report on all yards, comparing their facilities with potential requirements for disposal various of the various types of oil & gas structures. The report clarified the state of readiness for each yard and ranked them on their potential to capitalise on the upcoming onshore disposal workload.
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Topside Decommissioning FEED
Client : Confidential
Field : Confidential
Location : UKCS
Project Phase : DEFINE
Contracting through Genesis Oil & Gas Ltd, Rothie Projects agreed to lead a engineering team developing Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) for the decommissioning of an oil & gas producing topside in the Northern North Sea.
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Rothie Projects provided the FEED team leader for the decommissioning of a large modular topside structure. Numerous studies were required to determine, for example, the details for engineering down, making safe, conductor removal, power generation, subsea pipeline by-pass and various temporary systems required to be able to decommission and remove the topside.
Offshore surveys were conducted, led by Rothie Projects FEED team leader, and all studies manged to completion. The project culminated with the provision of an approved Basis of Design for Execution phase.
Other Projects....
We will be happy to provide further details on projects summarised above, or on other UKCS and International projects that we have undertaken for the industry.
Please use the form within the Contact page
CONTACT
Enquiries
Use the Contact form below if you would like to :
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discuss how we can support your organisation or project.
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share industry news and related issues.
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discuss how we can work with similar consultancies to provide a wider service.
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