Decommissioning Leaders to Meet at TotalDECOM 2015

Over 400 decommissioning leaders are set to attend TotalDECOM™ 2015 on the 20th – 22nd April 2015 at the Hilton, Glasgow, to discuss ‘The global decommissioning legacy’, where they will gain insight into the current thinking of some major sector players.

The conference is predicted to double in size since its inception in 2014, event organisers believe next year’s event will position TotalDECOM™ as the world’s leading cross sectoral decommissioning conference.

At the April 2014 event, business leaders from the global nuclear, oil and gas, process and defence industries met to discuss their own decommissioning challenges as well as, crucially, share knowledge and best practice. Speakers included Tony Price, Managing Director at Sellafield, Callum Falconer, Brae Commercial Lead at Marathon International and Dave Wells, Principal Consultant, Nuvia who talked about Nuclear Submarine decommissioning via experience gathered from the Russian Naval programme.

Once again TotalDECOM 2015 will be about high profile addresses urging collaborative thinking, and will delve into practical solutions to many of the difficult issues facing the decommissioning industries. There will be a showcase on technology, with a particular focus on robotics, imaging and sensing and autonomous systems, while skills and training will be another high profile agenda item to debate. Other key topic areas include – Design for Decommissioning, Asset Life Extension, Corrosion, Decontamination, Waste Characterisation, Site Remediation, 3D Modelling, Project Management, BIM, Risk & Security, Innovation, Radiological Protection, Financial, Legal and Insurance.

Rather than being a burden, decommissioning must be seen as an opportunity, there are eye-watering levels of investment needed to maintain or replace ageing nuclear and oil and gas facilities as well as huge commitments in defence and process industries. For instance, investment planned in the nuclear industry alone for 2014 / 2105 is £3.2 billion. In addition the NDA, Technology Strategy Board, Department of Energy and Climate Change, and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has invested a total of £18million to fund innovative technology projects across all nuclear sectors. This has leveraged a further £15 million from private-sector organisations.

TotalDECOM 2015 has already attracted some major global companies – American giant URS Corporation, a leading provider of engineering, construction, and technical services for public agencies and private sector companies around the world has taken headline sponsorship. Britain’s Energy Coast has taken a gold sponsorship package after the success enjoyed by attending TotalDECOM 2014. Doosan Power Systems – advanced steam generation specialists in waste-to-energy, nuclear and turbines, have snapped up silver sponsorship. Whilst Nuclear Connect and Oil & Gas Connect have come on board as programme sponsors and media partners.

Steven Szostak, Managing Director – Britain’s Energy Coast, said: “TotalDECOM provided major players and innovative SMEs alike the opportunity to come together in an open forum to highlight technologies and discuss ideas which could be transferred across a wide spectrum of decommissioning challenges. The potential for this transfer was clear to see from a Britain’s Energy Coast and West Cumbria perspective. Our world-leading expertise in nuclear clearly resonates with oil and gas, as well as defence, health, process industries and more. The event allowed delegates to appreciate these broad opportunities which will not only help businesses and local economies to benefit, but also help clean up in many cases complex legacies for the benefit for current and future generations.”

Decom North Sea have endorsed TotalDECOM 2015 and will have significant involvement in the conference. Decom North Sea [DNS] was established in 2010 in response to the needs of industry, it’s purpose is to develop game changing decommissioning solutions for the industry by facilitating member collaboration and thus ensuring maximum business potential for its European member companies.

DNS has grown to have more than 230 members, including operators, major contractors, service specialists and technology developers. With annual decommissioning expenditure in the North Sea set to increase from the current 1billion, DNS is playing a vital role in delivering decommissioning solutions and is the only organisation solely focussed on this strategically important sector.

Press Release, September 18, 2014