Sustainability in the Decommissioning Process of UK Offshore Installations and the Management of Hazardous Waste

Ford, J ORCID: 0000-0002-5783-5012 (2025) Sustainability in the Decommissioning Process of UK Offshore Installations and the Management of Hazardous Waste. Doctoral thesis, Liverpool John Moores University.

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Abstract

The decommissioning of offshore oil and gas installations is a complex process that poses significant environmental, regulatory and operational challenges. The handling of hazardous waste materials adds further difficulty, affecting compliance, cost efficiency and the overall sustainability of the process. The aim of this study is to develop a framework to improve the sustainable management of hazardous waste generated during the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas installations in the UK sector.
The study combines several methods. A review of existing literature was used to identify the main factors that influence hazardous waste handling. Expert discussions were held to collect industrial experience and professional judgement. The Analytic Hierarchy Process was then used to rank the importance of these factors, with “regulatory compliance” and “knowledge sharing” identified as the most influential. Bayesian Network modelling was used to examine how these factors interact and how uncertainty moves through the system. The results from these stages were brought together to form the integrated framework. These methods were integrated to develop a decision-support framework that combines qualitative expert knowledge with quantitative modelling to enhance the understanding and management of hazardous-waste processes during decommissioning.
The framework consists of six main elements: liability identification, regulatory compliance, knowledge sharing, hazardous waste monitoring, cost reduction and waste-stream optimisation. It was applied to two completed offshore decommissioning projects to assess its suitability and effectiveness: the Goldeneye gas platform, a fixed installation in the UK Central North Sea, and the Brent Delta topside, part of the Shell Brent field decommissioning programme. Data were taken from public reports and expert interviews. Applying the framework showed that early material identification and clearer knowledge sharing helped to reduce uncertainty in waste outcomes, while better coordination and record keeping improved waste-routing decisions and reduced reliance on landfill. The analysis also highlighted continuing problems with waste-inventory control and differences in how regulations are interpreted.
The study demonstrates that improved communication, data management and regulatory alignment are as important as technical solutions. The framework links these elements in one clear structure that can be applied to other decommissioning projects. Its main value is that it combines expert opinion and objective data in a transparent model that can be updated as new information becomes available. This study provides a practical approach for industry and regulators to improve the sustainability of offshore decommissioning. Future work could incorporate live data from monitoring systems and include broader social and economic impacts to make the framework more complete and predictive.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	offshore decommissioning; Bayesian network; decision-support framework; sustainability; hazardous waste management
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Divisions:	Engineering
Date of acceptance:	23 October 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	29 October 2025
Date Deposited:	29 Oct 2025 13:24
Last Modified:	29 Oct 2025 13:24
DOI or ID number:	10.24377/LJMU.t.00027428
Supervisors:	Loughney, S, Blanco-Davis, E, Shahrokhi, A and Armada Bras, A
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/27428

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