Duty of decommissioning: Webinar by The Rich North Sea
Decommissioning is the last phase in the lifetime of infrastructure projects such as offshore windfarms, involving the shutting down of operations and removing materials and equipment from the site. By 2030, about 600 offshore wind turbines should be decommissioned with 72% of them based upon monopile foundations. There is need for a cost-effective way of decommissioning and repurposing offshore wind infrastructure that considers the marine environment in which they were installed.
Decommissioning decision procedures are based on the asset’s physical condition and theoretical admissible lifetime of the turbine, as well as overall cost and site conditions, specific country legislation, logistical difficulties, and potential environmental impact. The main steps after a decommissioning assessment include preparation, actual removal of turbines, substructures and electrical equipment, transportation to port, and waste handling following the waste hierarchy. However, currently there are challenges for understanding and implementing specific best practices for end-of-life operations.
The Rich North Sea is organising a webinar on the theme, titled ‘Duty of Decommissioning Offshore Wind farms in 30 years’ due to take place on the 19th of January 2023 at 1pm Central European Time (CET).
Together with ecologists, researchers, lawyers, professionals from the offshore wind sector and hopefully you, we will explore the duty of decommissioning. Within the next five years, the first installed and therefore oldest wind turbines will need to be removed from the North Sea, emphasising the imminent need for decommissioning process consideration. We must consider ecological, legal, and economic perspectives and discuss the impact of decommissioning on nature, the biodiversity value created by wind farms and circumstances that would allow us to leave certain structures behind.
The webinar will include talks by Chris Backes, Professor at Utrecht University, Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law, Alex Oude Elferink, Director of the Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea and Joop Coolen, marine biologist specialized in offshore installations such as oil & gas platforms and wind farms in the North Sea. Background information will be presented as the starting point for this interactive discussion with you before the logistics of decommissioning are discussed more in depth. The webinar will be hosted by Henk Nieboer, interim director of the Netherlands Water Partnership and owner of Adealta. Please follow this link (Register for Webinar) to register your interest for the webinar.
