Mr. Anthony D. WrightTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to encourage the oil and gas industry to invest in recommissioning offshore platforms. [29305]
§ Mr. Battle[holding answer 13 February 1998]: Innovative new development and production techniques are constantly under appraisal by the industry and many installations now being installed on the UK Continental Shelf are designed specifically to be re-used.
As more fields reach the end of their lives there will clearly be a need to deal with facilities which have served their purpose offshore. The majority of North Sea facilities will be brought to shore for re-use or recycling.