Biggest Wells Plug and Abandonment Campaign – Effective Management & Best Practices Implementation

Abstract

This paper covers the strategy that led to successful execution of Plug and Abandonment (P&A) campaign. This paper also shares the best practices implementation, and challenges in completion of the biggest plug and abandonment campaign at Alpha Platform in Peninsular Malaysia. Among the challenges are aging wells with numerous integrity issues, well sequence selection and prioritization, monsoon season, stakeholder management as well as piloting new technology applications. In the last 5 years, there are over 50 wells have been successfully abandoned in Malaysia water. The generic abandonment project management framework consists of Initiation Stage, Concept Selection, Scope Definition, Execution, and Post Execution; Close Out. The scope for this paper will detail out the levels for abandonment planning. Screening and clustering, fit-for-purpose strategy, novel technology, innovative contracting strategy are among the pillars in abandonment planning and execution. Effective tools and matrix have been introduced to evaluate the wells candidates. Execution phase is narrowed down to several approaches and best practices that have been implemented to successfully complete all wells at Alpha Platform. The approaches have been customized to safely abandon wells with sustained annulus pressure (SAP) in compliance with the country's regulations. In-depth well study and aggressively piloting new technology are among the keys to tackle numerous well integrity issue in 40 years old wells e.g shallow gas, casing leak, wellhead, and Christmas tree leak. Vigilant logistic management and integrated contract approach also play important roles in reducing the risk and liability to the operator and at the same time developing local players’ capability. The strategy and best practices in completing plug and abandonment of Alpha Platform should be replicated by P&A industry to manage the similar issue in other projects. Integrated and fit-for-purpose abandonment approach act as the foundation to model invaluable high-quality planning, forecasting and Value Creation Plan for P&A project portfolio. This paper will be useful in P&A industry where a lot of lessons learned to be shared in the biggest campaign in Malaysia.