Title:Shell_Brent_Film_20th_May_Low_Res-_200516_
Duration: 7:00 minutes
Description:
An explanation of the Brent field Comparative Assessment Process process.
Shell_Brent_Film_20th_May_Low_Res-_200516_ Transcript
[Background music plays]
Light instrumental music.
[Text displays]
Brent Decommissioning Comparative Assessment
[Narrator]
Every oil and gas field has a lifecycle. From discovery of the field and construction of the platform to operation, maintenance and finally decommissioning. In the UK sector of the North Sea, decommissioning takes place under a mature regulatory process. Responsibility for ensuring decommissioning complies with UK regulations rests with the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
[Video footage]
Wide view of an oil platform in the ocean, a helicopter flying in front of it and vessels around it in the ocean.
Close-up of a crane hook from which ropes are hanging. Blue skies form the background.
Slightly high angle view of a platform in the ocean.
High angle view of workmen in safety gear working on equipment, cutting to a close-up of a large winch and then to a low angle shot of a workman tightening something on the rigging.
Mid-shot of the narrator against a blurred background, a light visible at frame-right, cutting to a wide-shot of the narrator standing on a platform, various platform structures in the background.
[Narrator]
After 40 years of service, decommissioning of Shells’ Brent field is underway. The Department of Energy and Climate Change or DECC stipulates certain activities that must be done.
[Text displays]
186KM
Brent Field
[Video footage]
Satellite photo of the Brent field showing the locator moving to a specific spot, identified by a broken white line alongside which text displays, indicating location.
Zoom to panning bird’s eye view of a platform in the ocean.
Point of view shot from under the platform, showing a support vessel moving along the ocean beyond.
Mid-shot in profile of a workman in safety gear standing on the platform and talking into a two-way radio as the supply vessel passes in the ocean below.
Aerial view of a workman suspended by ropes, handing on part of the rigging structure, the ocean churning below.
Low angle view of a workman tightening a bracket on a pipe on the platform.
Bird’s eye view of a platform in the ocean and a vessel in the ocean below, the sun setting at the horizon.
[Narrator]
In line with these regulations, Shell is plugging and making safe all the wells in the Brent field, removing all four of the platforms’ topsides, recovering seabed debris and removing the Attic oil, a layer of oil trapped at the top of the subsea storage cells.
[Text displays]
Delta
Charlie
Bravo
Alpha
[Computer generated imagery]
Panning bird’s eye view over the ocean, four platforms coming into focus towards the horizon. Text displays above each platform. The sky above the ocean is cloudy and dark.
Wide view of the four platforms alongside one another, showing the topsides as well as the subsea structure including the storage cells. The four topsides are illuminated when referred to by the narrator.
Close-up of one of the subsea storage cells on the seabed. The seabed around the storage cell is illuminated when the seabed debris is referred to by the narrator. The topsides of the storage cells are illuminated when the Attic oil is referred to by the narrator.
[Narrator]
For those parts of the field that aren’t stipulated by regulation, an operator is required to complete a detailed process of comparative assessment to identify and examine the various options for decommissioning. The process assesses and compares the pros and cons of each option in a verifiable and transparent manner. The objective is to show on balance which option offers the best solution and provide a significant reason why any option other than full removal is preferable.
[Video footage]
Mid-shot of the narrator as she walks to a spot on the platform, blurred structures visible in the background, cutting to a close-up, and back to the mid-shot.
[Background music plays]
Stately instrumental music.
[Narrator]
Shell is completing comparative assessments for the drill cuttings, pipelines, the alpha steel jacket, options for the three gravity-based structures and contents of the storage cells.
[Text displays]
Drill cuttings
Pipelines
Alpha Steel Jacket
Gravity Base Structure
Storage Cell Contents
[Computer generated imagery]
Wide view of the four platforms alongside one another, showing the topsides as well as the subsea structure. Text appears and arrows point to various points as they are referred to by the narrator.
[Narrator]
Although there is no specific requirement in the regulation for a comparative assessment of the content in the storage cells, Shell has opted to follow the same process to be consistent.
[Video footage]
Wide view of a platform in the water at frame-right, a vessel alongside at frame-left, and various buildings/structures visible in the background. Seagulls fly across the shot at various points.
Obstructed wide view of a vessel in the water, buildings behind it and seagulls flying in the foreground.
Wide view of a group of storage tanks at quayside, water in the foreground, cloudy skies above and seagulls flying across the frame.
Close-up of glistening water gently rippling against a dark structure at frame-right.
[Narrator]
The outcome of a comparative assessment may suggest leaving a structure or supporting infrastructure in place. If it does, the OSPAR Convention requires that an operator must show in a fully evaluated and reasoned manner that there are significant reasons why sea disposal or leaving in place is preferable to reuse, recycling or final disposal on land.
[Text displays]
OSPAR Convention
[Video footage]
Wide view of the narrator standing against windows through which the quay and quayside buildings can be seen, cutting to a close-up of the narrator.
[Narrator]
OSPAR, the Oslo/Paris Convention, was set up to protect and conserve the marine environment of the northeast Atlantic.
[Text displays]
OSPAR
Protect
Conserve
Environment
[Video footage]
Text displays against a background of sea sand on the shore. A wave flows in across the sand, white water covering the spot where before the text had displayed.
[Narrator]
OSPAR recognises that there may be particular difficulties and risks associated with removing large steel structures or the concrete gravity bases of some platforms. So OSPAR provides for operators decommissioning offshore structures to make a case for exemption from the general rule of complete removal. They call this exemption derogation.
[Video footage]
Wide view of the narrator standing against windows through which the quay and quayside buildings can be seen, cutting to a mid-shot of the narrator.
[Narrator]
If an operator identifies any cases requiring OSPAR to approve a derogation, DECC asks the operator to provide the comparative assessment in derogation case documents. These are part of the decommissioning programme submitted for approval which DECC then submits to OSPAR for consideration. Ultimately, DECC will make the final decision.
[Text displays]
Derogation case
Comparative Assessments
Decommissioning Programme
Final Decision
[Video footage]
Wide view of the quay, seagulls fluttering over the water. A vessel is partly visible at frame-left and buildings and other structures form the background. Text displays against this background.
[Narrator]
DECC stipulate there are five main criteria that must be used in a comparative assessment process. Each item to be decommissioned must be examined against these criteria.
[Video footage]
Aerial close-up of the topside of an oil platform, pulling back to a slightly wider aerial view of the platform against the background of the ocean.
Bird’s eye view of an oil platform in the ocean, cloudy bright blue skies above, cutting to a closer panning view of one corner of the platform.
[Narrator]
They are safety, environmental, societal, economic and technical. As a starting point, Shell decided to weight each of the five main criteria equally at 20%. Then each of the criteria was reviewed and further split into appropriate sub-criteria to enable a more comprehensive comparison between the different options available.
[Text displays]
Safety
Environmental
Societal
Economic
Technical
20%
[Video footage]
Wide view of five storage tanks rising vertically into blue skies, grey roofs visible in the foreground. Text displays on each storage tank as it is mentioned by the narrator.
Extreme wide view of the scene as previously described, the storage tanks visible in the distance. At frame-left of the tanks, a white line animation runs vertically from the base of the tanks to the sky above, an arrow head appearing at the top. A horizontal line runs from the middle of the vertical line across the top of the tanks towards frame-right, as text displays at the intersection of the two lines.
Wide view of the five storage tanks, as previously described, the same text displaying on each tank.
[Narrator]
For example, safety was broken down to consider the risks that a particular option could pose to offshore personnel, onshore personnel and other users of the sea, like fishermen.
[Text displays]
Safety
Offshore Personnel
Onshore Personnel
Other Sea Users
[Video footage]
Wide view of the five storage tanks, as previously described text displaying only on the tank at frame-left. Shading animation appears on this tank, red at the top, yellow in the middle and grey at the base, all in equal portions. White text underlined in red displays at frame-right of each of the shaded sections.
[Narrator]
On closer inspection, some options were identified as not being technically feasible. After consultation with stakeholders and external experts, these were discarded early in the process. Studies commissioned from independent experts, Shell analysis and industry norms were then used to inform the assessment of each sub-criteria.
[Video footage]
Low angle views of workmen descending a staircase underneath a platform.
Close-up of a workman examining equipment in the foreground of the shot.
Wide high angle view of workmen on the platform, seen in shadow, the bright waters of the quay visible beyond the platform, cloudy skies at top of frame and the strip that is the quayside separating the two.
Rear view mid-shot of a workman examining part of the platform structure.
Profile view of men sitting at workstations, facing the banks of screens and keyboards at frame-left, then cutting to a close-up of the men, still in profile, as they each successively point to data on a screen.
Mid-shot in profile of men in business suits seated at or near to glass-topped tables with other suited figures visible in the background.
Rear view shot of a man seated at a desk in an office environment. The desk is littered with files and documents. Three men face him, standing or leaning on the desk.
Close-up of the man’s arm and hand resting on the desk.
Wide view of a group of men and women seated around a large table. A woman stands at the head of the table. Behind her, a large projector screen as well as a flipchart are visible.
Close-up of the hands of several people seated at a desk, hands either clasped, gesturing or writing on documents in front of them.
High angle view of an office, some men seated at workstations, while two workmen standing in the foreground address them, cutting to a close-up of one of the workmen.
Rear view mid-shot of a group of workmen on the platform.
[Narrator]
Shell then analysed the performance of each option in each sub-criteria, and with the help of independent experts, transformed all these different measures into a score.
[Text displays]
Safety
Offshore Personnel
Onshore Personnel
Other Sea Users
Analysis
Expert Help
Score
[Video footage]
Wide view of the five storage tanks with the shading animation, as previously described, with text displaying on and alongside the storage tank at frame-left. Additional text then displays at frame-right of the text which is already displaying.
[Narrator]
The scores for each sub-criteria were then weighted and a total weighted score obtained for each of the options for each of the structures. This allowed Shell to develop a single measure that could be used to compare one option with the other.
[Video footage]
Wide view of a pile of heavy chains with blue skies visible above and another pile of chains in the foreground blurred. The chains in the foreground subsequently come into focus, with those in the background blurred.
Mid-shot of the narrator, standing in front of a pile of heavy chains, blue skies visible above the pile.
[Narrator]
As part of this rigorous process, Shell also conducted sensitivity testing. One criteria would be increased to 40% weighting with the other criteria evenly reduced, and in one case cost was removed altogether, to understand if it would change the outcome of the comparative assessment.
[Text displays]
Safety
Environmental
Societal
Economic
Technical
20%
40%
[Video footage]
Pan up from the base of the five storage tanks to a wide view of the tanks, as previously described.
Extreme wide view of the scene as previously described, the storage tanks visible in the distance and the vertical and horizontal line animation and text displaying. The axis at frame-left extends upwards as shading animation shows the tank at frame-left extending to twice its length and an even reduction of the shading animation is shown on the other four tanks to equal the increase in the first one. A second horizontal line extends from the vertical axis and runs across the top of the extended tank towards frame-right. Text displays at the intersection of the two lines.
Further shading animation shows a reverse of this process, with the shading in the tank second from frame-right reduced completely, while the other four tanks shading is extended in four even sections to equal the reduction in the other.
[Narrator]
Over the last nine years, Shell and a team of expert consultants have completed a wide range of studies to inform the comparative assessment process. Each of these studies has been reviewed by an independent group of recognized scientific, technical and environmental experts to ensure they are robust. Text displays to the right of the narrator.
Close-up of the narrator, as previously described. To her right, text displays.
[Text displays]
Over 300 studies
Independent review group
[Video footage]
Mid-shot of the narrator, standing at quayside, the waters of the quay and the refinery tanks visible at frame-left, cloudy skies above and what appears to be a vessel at frame-right in the background.
[Narrator]
The results of the comparative assessments form the basis of the decision-making process. Broader considerations like stakeholder feedback and other non-technical elements are also taken into account for arriving at the appropriate recommendations for the decommissioning programme.
[Video footage]
Wide shot of swans on water, a grassy bank in the foreground, cutting to a wide view of a vessel at quayside.
Close-up of hands handling fishing nets, cutting to a low angle shot of men, seen in shadow, the sun shining over the tops of the buildings in the background.
Wide view of the two men opening out the fishing net at quayside, vessels and buildings visible beyond, cutting to an extreme wide view of the same.
Wide view of a motionless seabird, cutting to waves breaking in the shallows, the tops of the nets and floats visible, extending from the shallows into deeper water.
[Narrator]
Whilst the comparative assessment will inform Shell’s final decision, each recommendation will be described in a document that will explain all the considerations taken into account, the matters assessed and reasons for the recommendations.
[Video footage]
Aerial close-up of a section of the platform, pulling back to a wide aerial view of the platform in the ocean.
Bird’s eye view of the platform in the ocean, cloudy blue skies visible above the horizon, cutting to an extreme wide bird’s eye view of the platform in the ocean, as the sun sets at the horizon, then panning and zooming to a closer view as the sky and waters darken.
[Narrator]
Decommissioning has many challenges and difficulties which need to be overcome. The comparative assessment is a useful tool in ensuring that all the options available are identified, assessed, weighed up and the best possible outcome is reached in a consistent and transparent manner.
[Video footage]
Close-up of the narrator, standing against windows through which buildings are visible.
[Audio]
Shell jingle.
[Graphic]
Shell logo centred on a white background below which text displays.
[Text displays]
© Shell International Limited 2016