Striking a Balance Index

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4.4 End of Operations Legacy Progress to date: achievements and difficulties encountered JIPs and dialogues UKOOA recognises the importance of involving industry stakeholders in its decision making processes. Whilst this may be a regulatory requirement in some cases (e.g. the public consultation required by Environmental Impact Assessments), in most cases communication with stakeholders is carried out voluntarily. One such example is the work UKOOA is carrying out on drill cuttings under a Joint Industry Project (JIP), examining possible options for dealing with drill cuttings discharged on the seabed in the past that still contain oil and other materials. In order to ensure as much information as possible is available, the JIP team has consulted widely and the results of this consultation are available on the web site. Sustainable Development Action Plan Existing Drill Cuttings Accumulations We re-affirm our commitment to the Drill Cuttings Joint Industry Project to determine the Best Environmental Practice for drill cuttings accumulations. The extensive programme of work includes surveying and characterisation of existing drill cuttings piles, environmental impact analysis and performance assessment of in-situ and removal options. This is in parallel with a programme of dialogue with stakeholders to discuss results. The performance of a range of management options will be compared for each of four 'test' accumulations, covering the range of large and small, and water and oil based mud. Decommissioning: Dialogue and Potential Re-Use We are championing the work being done by various decommissioning bodies including the North Sea Decommissioning Group (NSDG). This includes analysis of installations for decommissioning and potential timing, technology development, best practice sharing, facilitating communication (including dialogue with stakeholders) around the issues of re-use and the uncertainties about the future regulatory regime. (See also 1.3 for other actions relating to decommissioning) Pipelines and Cables Along with the existing projects examining drill cuttings and decommissioning in which key stakeholder groups are involved, and in accordance with the framework set out in the new DTI Decommissioning Guidelines, we will also assess the most appropriate long-term solution for seabed pipelines and cables.