ANP Has New Information on the Decommissioning of Onshore Oil Fields in Brazil

The Publication of New Information Regarding the Decommissioning of Onshore Oil Fields in Brazil Aims to Establish a More Direct Communication with Companies and Clarify Issues Related to the Process in the National Territory, Reveals ANP

With new directions for the oil and gas sector in Brazil and the decommissioning of some fields, the National Petroleum Agency (ANP) is, this Thursday, (05/26), providing a series of guidelines about the process in the national territory. All the information is aimed at the decommissioning of onshore oil fields, that is, those in land production, and aims to streamline this activity in Brazil with better quality in the search for information.

Decommissioning of Onshore Oil Fields in Brazil Can Be Complicated and ANP Publishes Guidelines to Facilitate the Process for Companies

According to the ANP itself, decommissioning is described as the set of activities associated with the definitive interruption of the operation of facilities, the permanent abandonment and plugging of wells, the removal of facilities, the appropriate disposal of materials, waste, and by-products, the environmental recovery of the area, and the preservation of local navigation safety conditions.

Currently, this process faces challenges within the oil and gas scenario in Brazil. This occurs due to the current need for regulatory adjustment, the expansion of technical training, and the development of the service chain with specific solutions. Thus, the ANP seeks to act as a regulator of these regulations to make the entire chain even easier in the country.

With this, the agency has new information about the entire decommissioning process of onshore oil fields in Brazil available on its website and is now seeking to disseminate these guidelines for a more direct communication with companies in the oil industry.

The decommissioning of onshore fields can bring a series of impacts to the environment and the safety of the population if not carried out correctly. Thus, the dissemination of ANP’s guidelines seeks to meet the need for clearer information for the companies going through this process. The so-called Dynamic Decommissioning Panel of Exploration and Production Facilities gathers the main information about the process through the Annual Work and Budget Program (PAT), as well as the status of deliveries and analyses of the Decommissioning Facility Programs (PDFs), and can be accessed at any time.

Agency Seeks More Direct Communication with Companies and Align the Decommissioning Process of Onshore Oil Fields in the National Territory

With the publication of the decommissioning program for onshore oil fields in Brazil, the main objective of the ANP, according to the agency itself, is to align the understanding between ANP and contracted companies regarding issues involving the presentation of the so-called Decommissioning Program for Facilities (PDF) for land fields. This through even clearer information and easy access via the Dynamic Decommissioning Panel of Exploration and Production Facilities. 

Additionally, besides improving the quality of the information presented, the guidelines for PDFs for the process in the onshore oil fields also guarantee a significant reduction in the time for document analysis and the necessity for revisions in the document. Thus, companies can achieve much more optimization of the entire process and therefore ensure a greater chance of approval in the program. 

Finally, the ANP concludes by stating that, in the guidelines for the decommissioning of the fields, “The main definitions contained in the resolution in question, the applicable deadlines for the Land PDFs, as well as the Roadmap of the Land Decommissioning Program that must be followed,” are also available, aiming to make communication with companies even clearer.