Key Success Factors for the Reuse and Repurpose of Decommissioned Structures in Malaysia
Authors: Zulkifli Izzati , Zainudin Ahmad Yuhana , Zainai Ariff Irfan , A Bakar M Nurzawani , Tan Sian Chin 
Published: October 2023

This paper aims to share the key success factors leading to the successful reuse and repurposing of decommissioned structures in Malaysia from the lens of Malaysia’s regulator in the Upstream Oil & Gas sector.

PETRONAS via Malaysia Petroleum Management ("MPM") has been vested by the government of Malaysia the custodianship in the overall management of petroleum resources throughout the lifecycle of upstream oil and gas assets. MPM is the governing body for the country's petroleum development since PETRONAS was established in 1974. of the nation’s oil & gas resources with the goal to, "Maximize Long-Term Value from Oil & Gas as a Resource Owner for PETRONAS and the Nation".From the context of decommissioning, MPM manages the liabilities for all upstream petroleum facilities in Malaysia, specifically to strategize, regulate, promote, and drive decommissioning execution that are safe, cost-effective and with the least impact to the environment.

Malaysia’s decommissioning activities are expected to intensify as considerable assets have been operating beyond their design life and/or approaching their economic limit. For the past 20 years, Malaysia has seen various types of decommissioning projects with varying decommissioning options. To date, more than 60% of decommissioned facilities have been converted to artificial reefs, reused or repurposed, vis-à-vis total removal for onshore disposal.

The first key success factor involves having a shared vision among relevant stakeholders. In our pursuit to achieve sustainable development goals, both industry and academia successfully collaborated in the repurposing of a decommissioned X-mas Tree from a subsea field in Malaysia and handing it over to Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS ("UTP") to be used for learning and research.

In another example of having a shared vision, MPM had completed an integrated decommissioning project in April 2023, which yields a net positive impact by reducing development cost through the reuse and refurbishment of the topsides, instead of constructing new.

The second key success factor being collaborative synergiesas evidenced by MPM’s drive for collaboration amongst Operators, which led to the success of Malaysia’s first reuse of a decommissioned trunkline for another field’s hydrocarbon evacuation. Through the reuse of this pipeline, the receiving field achieved development cost compression and timely first gas delivery.

Next, adoption of new technologies is the third key success factor, proven by the success of a platform relocation off-the-coast of Terengganu. The execution of this first platform relocation in Malaysia involved a one-piece lift removal method of a wellhead platform equipped with suction piles (which is not a norm in Malaysia). After being removed from the decommissioned field, the platform was re-installed in the neighboring new field within 3 days, increasing execution efficiency.

In conclusion, MPM aspires to proliferate reuse and repurposing in the decommissioning space going forward. Disused assets may be reused at the same location or alternate locations as deemed fit, with potential repurposing in renewable energy generation, aqua-farming, offshore research centre and eco-tourism, to name a few. Having a shared vision, promoting collaborative synergies as well as adopting new technologies are key success factors to achieve sustainable development goals, cost-effective execution, and increased operations efficiency. MPM is confident that more key success factors will be unveiled over time. With the support from Operators and other solution partners, MPM will continue to be the enabler and shaper of safe and sustainable decommissioning in Malaysia.