Transforming Australia’s approach to decommissioning research

In 2018, Australian oil and gas (O&G) operators committed funds to a collaborative approach to research to improve the evidence base for O&G decommissioning decisions. This followed an unsuccessful bid to establish a cooperative research centre for decommissioning. Modelled on the INSITE North Sea program, the National Decommissioning Research Initiative (NDRI) was established for an initial period of 3 years, until July 2022, with funding of $3.4 million. Research is focused on understanding the impact that full removal or in situ decommissioning may have on the marine environment. The program is supported by Woodside Energy, Santos Limited, BHP, Chevron Australia, ExxonMobil, Shell Australia and Vermilion Oil and Gas Australia and managed by National Energy Resources Australia. This study describes the establishment of the NDRI and expected future developments.