Cookstown based Decom Engineering chasing North Sea and international business with Aberdeen expansion

Northern Ireland decommissioning solutions specialist, Decom Engineering, is expanding its operations with a new base near Aberdeen, which will improve access to key oil and gas clients.

The £200,000 investment will establish a test centre and office facility on the doorstep of Europe’s oil capital, as part of a strategy to win major decommissioning projects.

Established in 2011, the Cookstown-based engineering company, has developed technologies which provide greener, faster and safer solutions for decommissioning in the energy sector.

They are a major provider of green decommissioning solutions to oil and gas contractors, which improve safety and efficiency, while reducing environmental impact.

The company’s Pipe Coating Removal (PCR) equipment can strip and clean decommissioned or surplus pipelines of multiple coatings so they can be repurposed for use on other projects, while its range of cold cutting saws are in demand on international decommissioning projects as oil and gas operators replace or remove ageing infrastructure and redundant assets.

In the last year Decom Engineering has hosted a number of technology showcases and equipment trials in and around Aberdeenshire which has led to securing contracts with major energy sector contractors.

The new facility will strengthen its position to win further work in the UK and further afield with clients who have global operations, and it is anticipated up to six new engineering, design and administration posts will be created.

Highlighting the importance of the investment to the local economy and the new facility, Decom Engineering chief executive officer, Sean Conway, said: “Aberdeen is a hotbed of technology companies who support the traditional oil and gas sector - and now the renewable energy industry - by innovating and developing cleaner, greener and safer ways of satisfying global energy demand.

“My family have close links to the oil and gas sector and Aberdeen, and the early part of my career in the decommissioning sector was spent in the north east of Scotland, so it is an area which has had a strong influence on how we have grown the business.

“Our focus is on the decommissioning sector and with many of the oil and gas majors increasingly focussed on the transition from hydrocarbons to renewable energy, opportunities for us to win new business in the UK Continental Shelf will undoubtedly grow.

“Previously we have rented premises or test facilities to showcase our products and expertise to North Sea clients, but having a local facility and staff is the next logical step, and we have identified a site and hope to be up and running by Q4 of this year.”

Decom Engineering has completed contracts in mainland Europe and Asia Pacific, and is tendering for new workscopes in Thailand, North America, Brazil and India.

The company continues to invest in research and development and with its own in-house design and build capability, it means tools and equipment can be adapted to bespoke client requirements.

Outlining their plans for the future which include more international projects, Mr Conway added: “We have invested more than £700,000 in ongoing research and development as we devise decommissioning technologies which are more environmentally friendly and cost effective.

“Aberdeen and the UKCS is an important market for us, but it can also be a gateway to international projects which will add to our track record in mainland Europe and the Asia Pacific region.”

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