Audacious bid to dump old oil rigs on Bass Strait sea floor

Enough material to build 110 Sydney Harbour Bridges is built into Australian offshore oil and gas rigs, and experts are now grappling with how to safely recover it.

As the nation transitions to renewable energy, the majority of the hulking offshore platforms in Victoria and Western Australia will reach the end of their lifespans over the next 30 years.

The federal government estimates it will cost industry at least $60 billion to decommission oil and gas rigs coming to the end of their lifespan. The size of the task – and the opportunities it presents – is vast.

The Centre of Decommissioning Australia (CODA) – which represents many of the world’s major oil and gas companies – estimates 5.7 million tonnes of material will need to be removed from offshore oil and gas facilities; the equivalent of 110 Sydney Harbour Bridges worth of hardware.

https://www.watoday.com.au/environment/climate-change/audacious-bid-to-dump-old-oil-rigs-on-bass-strait-sea-floor-20240312-p5fbpl.html