Decommissioning spending in the North Sea reached a record £2.6bn in 2025, according to the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA).
Well decommissioning accounted for around £1.3bn of the total, with operators completing final abandonment on more than 100. However, there is a backlog of approximately 500 wells awaiting final abandonment.
More than 1,000 additional projects are forecast to be decommissioned over the next five years with the NSTA saying activity will need to increase significantly.
Well termination is expected to remain the largest component of UK Continental Shelf decommissioning costs, accounting for around half of forecast expenditure through to 2032.
The NSTA described the period as a decade of decommissioning, with almost half of total spending expected to take place by 2032.
The expenditure is also forecast to overtake capital spend from 2029, reflecting the maturity of the North Sea and a declining investment in new oil and gas projects.
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