Project Overview

A major offshore operator commissioned SPD to undertake an engineering study to evaluate rigless P&A feasibility for a representative selection of platform wells, develop outline procedures and cost estimates, and provide a rigorous comparison of rigless versus rig-based options. Two wells were selected as representative of the wider platform stock — both featuring complex, non-standard completions presenting greater than typical challenges for rigless abandonment.

SPD’s Approach

SPD reviewed all available well data for both wells. Abandonment designs were developed in accordance with OEUK well abandonment guidelines, assessed individually on a well-by-well basis. Five support unit options were evaluated for rigless execution. Cost models were built for four scenarios, with additional sensitivity analyses covering partial rigless success rates from 10% to 50% on both 10-well and 5-well platforms.

Results & Value Delivered

✔ Both Wells Confirmed Rigless-Feasible — Full OEUK compliance achievable for complex dual-completion well types.

✔ $25.7M Savings Identified — On a 10-well platform with full rigless success, savings confirmed against 100% rig-based baseline.

✔ Decision Framework Delivered — Clear go/no-go thresholds defined for 5-well and 10-well platform scenarios.