§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) in relation to the relevant provisions contained in the Petroleum Act 1987, if he will list the offshore installations and pipeline networks which have been dismantled and removed or those which are to be demolished and withdrawn from their sites on the United Kingdom continental shelf; and if he will make a statement;
(2) in relation to the relevant provisions contained in the Petroleum Act 1987, how many programmes involving the abandonment of (a) offshore installations and (b) submarine pipe line networks he has approved over the past three years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MoynihanOver the past three years my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy has approved two abandonment programmes under the terms of the Petroleum Act 1987, relating to the Crawford (block 9/28a) and Blair (block 16/21a) fields. On the Crawford field all installations and pipelines have been dismantled and removed from the United Kingdom continental shelf. They comprised:
- —The North Sea Pioneer floating production system.
- —The Hamilton 2 CALM loading buoy.
- —Subsea facilities, including flexible pipelines and control lines.
On the Blair field, the single production wellhead has been dismantled and removed; two small partially trenched pipelines have been left in place after cleaning and, to prevent interference with fishing vessels, have been covered with concrete mattresses where they were not trenched. Approval of the abandonment programme was subject to conditions requiring inspection and maintenance of these pipelines.
No other installations or pipelines have been dismantled and removed. The Piper Alpha installation was toppled in situ in 1989 as it was not safe or practicable to abandon it by other means.
The Government have made clear that each abandonment programme submitted under the terms of the Petroleum Act 1987 will be considered on its merits, in the light of all the circumstances prevailing at the time, and taking full account of environmental and fishing interests. The standards taken into account when a decision is made regarding the removal of disused offshore installations and structures will be consistent with the guidelines adopted by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Application of the IMO guidelines means that the majority of platforms on the UKCS will be entirely removed.