WATCH: North Sea decom campaign retires trio of gas wells in UK waters

August 25, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Spirit Energy, a North Sea operator, has finished a multimillion-dollar decommissioning campaign in the UK sector of the North Sea, plugging and abandoning (P&A) three gas wells that have reached the end of their productive lives and removing more than 234 tons of subsea infrastructure.

Well-Safe Protector rig; Source: Spirit Energy

Spirit Energy has completed a £40 million ($55 million) decommissioning campaign in the North Sea, which involved more than 114,000 hours of work and brought together specialist vessels, a rig, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and teams from across more than 30 UK supply chain partners, including DeepOcean and Well-Safe Solutions.

The operator has plugged and abandoned three subsea wells and removed more than 234 tons of subsea infrastructure, with 100% of the recovered materials on course to be reused or recycled in UK yards. These activities were undertaken on the Seven Seas and Grove G5 production wells, and the Grove Deep exploration well in the UK Southern North Sea between April and July 2026.

Matt Browell-Hook, Spirit’s Director of Energy Transition, Decommissioning and Projects, remarked: “Safely and efficiently decommissioning offshore infrastructure when it cannot be repurposed is a key focus for our industry, and our support for the NSTA’s decommissioning charter reflects our commitment to doing this work safely and efficiently.

“It’s particularly pleasing that we are on course to recycle or reuse 100 per cent of the subsea materials recovered with the work to be carried out in UK yards. The campaign has been a great example of how operators and contracting companies can work together, and its success is testament to the hard work and expertise that exists right across the UK supply chain.”

Three-well decom campaign wraps up in North Sea

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Spirit Energy claims the Seven Seas and Grove G5 wells collectively produced 56 billion cubic feet of gas during their operational lives, enough to heat more than 2.5 million homes for a year, which highlights the important role domestic gas has played in the nation’s energy security.

The campaign reflected the collaborative approach and best practices set out in the North Sea Transition Authority’s Decommissioning Charter, which the company and 16 other UK operators have committed to supporting, including close engagement with supply chain partners and the deployment of specialist vessels and rig resources.

Ceri Wheaton, Spirit’s Decommissioning Manager, commented: “Some of the biggest challenges involved working with older infrastructure, alongside the Southern North Sea’s notoriously unpredictable weather. It’s why close working across all of Spirit’s teams and with our contracting companies has been absolutely critical to this project’s success.

“We’ve had multiple vessels in the water at any one time, including tugs, a rig, a construction support vessel and ROVs, all while having to work together along with existing assets that are still in the field. Frequent and clear communication between onshore and offshore means that decisions can be made quickly leading to a safe and efficient campaign.”

DeepOcean’s Edda Freya construction support vessel carried out enabling works at both well locations. During activities at Seven Seas, situated approximately 60 kilometers off the East Yorkshire coast, the team removed the 100-ton wellhead protection structure.

The vessel then mobilised to Grove G5, 131 kilometers east of the Norfolk coast, where remotely operated vehicle operations were used to disconnect subsea infrastructure and prepare the well for the next phase of decommissioning.

View on Offshore-energy.

Well-Safe’s Well-Safe Protector rig was subsequently deployed to both Seven Seas and Grove G5, completing reservoir abandonment activities and making significant progress on the wider decommissioning campaign before returning to Aberdeen.

These wells contributed to UK gas supply between 2008 and 2024, with Grove G5 producing from 2008 to 2019 and Seven Seas from 2012 until ceasing production in 2024.

“The UK industry is committed to decommissioning subsea wells which are no longer producing oil or gas in a safe, cost-effective and timely manner, while reducing environmental risks and lowering the cost of decommissioning tax relief to the Exchequer,” according to Spirit Energy.