International energy consultancy Xodus Group has expanded its decommissioning offering with the appointment of its first well decommissioning manager.
Gavin Bell will be responsible for developing and delivering Xodus’ new well decommissioning service that had previously been outsourced to external contractors. The appointment follows a successful year for Xodus’ decommissioning division which secured several new clients and won more than £2million of work.
Mr Bell is a chartered mechanical engineer with more than 25 years’ experience in the international oil and gas industry. He joins from Repsol Sinopec Resources UK where he led a number of P&A projects through early planning phases including rig option selection and the development of P&A cost models. Previously, he worked for DONG Energy in Denmark and spent 20 years working with well service contractors, Halliburton and Baker Hughes INTEQ. Before joining the oil industry, he completed training in marine engineering and industrial engineering.
Mr Bell, who will be based in Aberdeen, said: “Xodus has always been known for its innovative problem solving and we will be applying this to the challenges facing well decommissioning. I’m excited to be leading this new business line for the company and working with a talented and enthusiastic group of industry professionals.”
Xodus’ decom division has undertaken more than 100 decommissioning projects globally ranging from M&A due diligence and commercial advice, to training and detailed planning and approvals for decom execution.
Enrico Salardi, Xodus’ Decommissioning Director said: “Gavin has great experience from both the operator side and the services sector which will be a real asset. We have the ideal person to help us take on well decommissioning challenges around the world’.
“As a company, we are covering a broader spectrum of services and disciplines to include well abandonment and decommissioning strategic support. We can now provide a fully integrated decommissioning service, such as the definition of decommissioning strategies for single assets or on a portfolio basis, regulatory compliance support and the identification of the best engineering solutions across all disciplines.”
Xodus is attending the 19th North Sea Decommissioning Conference in Stavanger on March 4-6.
