After nine years, the activities related to the decommissioning and reuse of offshore oil and gas platforms and infrastructure are being transferred from Nexstep to Element NL and EBN. Nexstep was established in 2017 as a joint initiative of EBN and the Dutch oil and gas industry, represented by Element NL.
The organisation aimed to stimulate the reuse of infrastructure and foster collaboration in the decommissioning of oil and gas assets in the Netherlands. “Since its establishment in October 2017, this task has been successfully initiated and structured. The knowledge and experience gained can now be deployed more efficiently by the original initiators,” said Nicolien Vrisou-Van Eck, Director of the Gas Transition Business Unit at EBN.
At the start of Nexstep, there was a clear mission: to kick-start and structure the decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure in the North Sea and onshore. At the time, a dedicated organisation was needed to accelerate progress, consolidate expertise and organise collaboration across the sector. That phase has now been completed.
“Over the past years, Nexstep has made a substantial contribution to the decommissioning challenge, including joint operator campaigns to plug and abandon wells and the establishment of a national knowledge-sharing platform,” said Gerda Verburg, Chair of Element NL.
“Decommissioning has now matured as a domain. Processes, standards and collaboration are firmly embedded and will be organised internally within a dedicated ‘decommissioning company’. This means that the need for a separate organisation has come to an end.”
This transition contributes to a more efficient organisation of reuse and decommissioning activities, with less fragmentation and stronger alignment with broader energy policy. By embedding these activities within Element NL and EBN, they can be managed more effectively and better connected to wider energy and transition challenges, such as infrastructure reuse and CO₂ storage.
Timely and careful decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure is of significant societal importance. It ensures safety, prevents environmental damage and limits financial risks for society. At the same time, the way installations are decommissioned plays a crucial role in the energy transition. Existing infrastructure and depleted gas fields can serve as key assets in the development of CO₂ storage beneath the North Sea.
