Current Press Releases OIL & GAS UK AND ITF PROMOTE EFFICIENT MARKET PLACE FOR DECOMMISSIONING SERVICES Events held by Oil & Gas UK and Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF) this week in Aberdeen will sharpen the industry's focus on the technologies and capabilities that will be in demand on the UK continental shelf (UKCS) when decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure gets underway. Oil & Gas UK's 'Decommissioning Seminar - Engaging the Supply Chain' on 12 June and ITF's 'Decommissioning Theme Day' on 13 June together seek to actively improve the industrys readiness for decommissioning and identify key areas for technology development. Paul Dymond, Oil & Gas UK's operations director, said: "Uncertainties around the costs of decommissioning affect not only the abandonment activities being planned over the next few years, but also the trading of and continuing investment in the oil and gas infrastructure that will remain in place and provide the base for ongoing production. "It is crucial that oil and gas operators engage with the supply chain to develop a mutual understanding of the goods and services that will be required in the course of decommissioning and the contracting strategies needed to deliver them. This will enable the industry to better understand the marketplace and help build the capacity and capability to respond to this technological challenge and at a definable cost." Delegates at both events will have the opportunity to explore in detail the technologies and capabilities needed to support the abandonment of oil and gas infrastructure so that the marketplace for such goods and services is developed in a timely and relevant manner. Speakers at Oil & Gas UK's seminar, sponsored by Aker Solutions, will draw upon the experiences of both the US Gulf of Mexico in oil and gas decommissioning and the nuclear industry in abandoning its facilities. The association will discuss new guidance to help ensure that all parties in the contracting process understand and manage the risks associated with decommissioning. Subsequently, the decommissioning theme day will allow ITF to follow through on the findings from Oil & Gas UK's seminar and engage with all levels of the supply chain, including end users and suppliers, to understand in more detail the key technology challenges within decommissioning. The information gathered from the discussions will enable ITF to issue a global call for proposals to meet the technology needs of oil and gas decommissioning, which will in turn benefit the entire industry. The ITF process will then establish joint industry projects with up to 100% funding available for successful, innovative technology proposals. David Liddle, technology manager for ITF, said: "Over the next two decades the industry will begin to decommission many of the installations that have been producing oil and gas in the North Sea - including small and large steel platforms, subsea and floating equipment. "It is a complex process which will present a number of challenges to the industry including technical, economic, environmental and health and safety issues. The aim of the ITF theme day is to engage with the whole industry to define these challenges and to use the ITF process to seek out innovative solutions to the benefit of the industry." Further information on oil and gas decommissioning is available at http://www.oilandgas.org.uk/media/mediaList.cfm?type=briefing ENDS NOTES TO EDITORS Oil & Gas UK is the leading representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry.  Its members are companies licensed by the Government to explore for and produce oil and gas in UK waters and those who form any part of the industry's supply chain.  It has 67 members. Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF) is a not for profit global organisation owned and governed by operators and service companies. ITFs role is to make sure that the technology ideas that will benefit the industry are given the best possible opportunity to be developed into commercially successful products and services. For further information, please contact: Sally Fraser Oil & Gas UK Media Relations                2nd Floor                                                           232-242 Vauxhall Bridge Road    London SW1V 1AU                     Tel:       020 7802 2404 Fax:      020 7802 2401 Email:   sfraser@oilandgasuk.co.uk Pager :  07659 183 999 http://www.oilandgasuk.co.uk 11/06/08