Oil & Gas UK publishes well guidelines

Oil & Gas UK has published an update of its Well Life Cycle Integrity Guidelines.

The publication reflects recent changes in the regulatory environment, such as the requirement for well-operators and drilling contractors to integrate the management of both safety and the environment as part of the Offshore Safety Directive introduced in July 2015.

Oonagh Werngren, Oil & Gas UK’s operations director, said: “These guidelines produced by Oil & Gas UK’s Wells Forum collate current industry expertise and provide further clarification on how best to design a well and plan operations to assure well integrity. The aim is to help well operators and drilling contractors better understand how to select, install, verify, test, maintain and repair suitable barriers to reduce the risk of uncontrolled release of fluids throughout the life cycle of a well.

“A number of organizations worked collaboratively to update the guidelines including members of Oil & Gas UK, the Norwegian Well Integrity Forum, the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers Well Integrity Workgroup, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Health and Safety Executive and the UK Onshore Operators Group.”

As part of the industry’s efforts to tackle its cost base and improve efficiency, the well integrity guidelines provide the sector with a common framework to outline good practice, reduce operational complexity and improve safety performance.