Leading the Decom Mission…

Mission. We literally put it in the name of the business when we rebranded. It’s a perfect fit because this is a Trade Association that has lived and breathed decommissioning since its inception, with the goal of sharing opportunities, enabling capacity and generating interest. It’s what we have done since 2009. ?

And yet in 2025 the mission has changed significantly. We still represent members who are both Operators and Supply Chain, and we retain our independence and continue to advocate for the environmental, economic and employment upsides of industrial decommissioning in the energy sector.

What’s changed, though, is the context in which this is now being done.

Climate change is now more evident than before, society largely expects decarbonisation to proceed, and vast sums of capital are being deployed into building the energy systems needed for the 21st Century.

Energy sector decommissioning is now becoming more internationally widespread, with early signs of a future need in the renewables industry as well. ?And so, the pull on resources widens and yet we increasingly need to attract innovation, talent and investment in order to make good on the potential market. ?

Our Board of Directors recently revisited our Mission and Vision statements, last revised in 2022 and agreed that they remain current and relevant.

If the mission remains on track, then in an evolving world perhaps the hardest part of our remit is conferring to members how we represent them and their needs. Looking back over our activity in January, I see an opportunity to outline the difference between what we achieve in public and what we work on in private. In both cases it is important to remember that we aim to be independent and a fair voice arguing for good outcomes. And so, here it is, our list of January deliverables:

• Scottish Affairs Committee response: this was collated in December and submitted in early January, and we used this opportunity to highlight emerging challenges in the direction and pace of the Energy Transition and the way in which the decline of oil and gas is not met equally by growth in renewable activity. Contentious, but with significant consequences if not addressed correctly.
• Member and stakeholder discussions regarding UK onshore capacity for processing and handling offshore structures. This has long been an area of concern, and we hope to be able to address and assess this more fairly in coming months as a matter of urgency.
• Confidential discussions with member companies, partners and stakeholders on the good and bad in decommissioning and areas in which we may be able to help improve outcomes. These range from businesses that are 1. struggling to meet demand, (a great thing?!) 2. are concerned at payment terms and back-to-back contractual positions (unfortunately relatively common) and 3. partnerships with whom we could potentially collaborate with to add value (building a better future).
• Decom 2025 / Nuclear Decommissioning Authority conferences and exhibitions: Two days of nuclear decommissioning focus, at the largest event of its kind in Europe and where we stood on stage and shared our observations on challenges and the potential to build a supply chain that address cross-industry opportunities.?

• Data for Decom Mission. There is an absence of an affordable and accessible dataset for global, cross industry decommissioning. This has been on our long list for a long time and so we are revisiting this one too. A more transparent market should be a healthier market.
• Attendance at events like the P&A Technology Showcase, recently organised by the Wells Decommissioning Collaboration initiative, led by the Net Zero Technology Centre . ?We cannot deliver on all fronts and so it is important therefore that we support bodies doing things that are relevant to but outside of our remit – such as advocating for technology development in well abandonment, the largest cost item in oil and gas decommissioning.
• Board of Directors meeting. In return for a cup of coffee and a sandwich we engage with ?our external Directors to be a voice of industry along with the Executive Team, asking smart questions of us and giving direction to the business.
• Normal business that included the filming of our next quarterly video and preparation for Decom Week 2025.?

If you are a member or a stakeholder and this doesn’t ring true with you, please let us know. You might be surprised to know how keen we are to hear from you.

Regards,

Sam Long - CEO, Decom Mission