Re-use of offshore infrastructure and platforms: assessing value to communities, industry and the environment

A number of offshore oil and gas installations in New Zealand are approaching the end of their economic field-life and there is an interest in understanding local perspectives of decommissioning and how that may align with international practice.

This report summarises:

• A literature review of New Zealand’s current legislation and regulatory frameworks related to offshore decommissioning, accompanied by a comparison of selected international jurisdictions
• The local cost verses benefit analysis of decommissioning options used globally and how that could be applied in the New Zealand context
• An analysis of benthic community composition around existing offshore oil and gas structures, including consideration of whether the structures themselves have an effect on the composition
• Marine mammal mapping, based on a review of marine mammal sightings in the Taranaki Bight, with an explanation of migratory, resident or transient behavioural patterns
• An investigation of social considerations towards decommissioning obtained through media analysis and a range of social engagements

March 2018