21st Century Ocean Energy Safety Research Roadmap
Authors: Williams Thomas , Haut Richard , Cohen John , Pettigrew James 
Published: April 2019

Investments in applied research have made positive improvements in safety and environmental protection in the oil and gas industry. This paper identifies technical needs, research topics and processes for future research investments in the Gulf of Mexico based on a report titled "21st Century Ocean Energy Safety Research Roadmap" (Roadmap). This report was completed by RPSEA for the Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI) in November 2018. Funding for OESI and this report came from the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). This paper provides an overview of the report findings as well as a summary of areas where the government, key stakeholders and industry can work together to continue to improve safety and environmental improvement.

Investments in safety and environmentally protective research are responsibility of all parties. This report stresses that new technologies are of little value if they cannot be applied, so the process of how the research is conducted, early stage adoption, advancements and technology transfer play a key role. It is important to note that as new technologies are developed, the personnel qualifications may also change, as will associated training. The Roadmap, developed in this effort, offers a unique opportunity to guide the applications of advanced technologies. These new technology applications will continue the significant progress of current safety and environmental management systems and procedures.

The recommendations were based on areas where government funding and leadership can play an important role. These recommendations came from workshops, interviews of subject matter experts, surveys, and an extensive literature search. Prior recommendations are also included from reports published by the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the Gulf Research Program, the Center for Offshore Safety, OESI and RPSEA.

Investments in safety and environmental research spiked following the Macondo incident, as they have following prior safety and environmental incidences. Most of the research funding has come from fines and penalties, (from the RESTORE Act), but other substantial funding has come from industry.

The offshore oil and gas industry have made significant progress in developing safety and environmental management systems and procedures. These systems and processes provide an opportunity to incorporate advances in technology for continued improvements. Working with regulators, service providers and researchers, this document addresses an important need to identify and prioritize limited research investments.

The goal is for identified R&D investments to target the development of safe, environmentally sensitive, cost-effective technologies. The application of these advances will allow industry to develop resources in increasingly challenging conditions and ensure that the understanding of the risks associated with operations will keep pace with the technologies that industry has developed. Advances in knowledge will aid in the assessment and mitigation of the risk in offshore production activities related to controls, safeguards, and environmental impact mitigation procedures during drilling, completion, production operations and abandonment. This is of critical importance.