Soliman‑Hunter, T. (2024). Best practice and regulatory reform for plugging and permanent abandonment of offshore petroleum wells in Australia. Centre for Energy and Natural Resources Innovation and Transformation (CENRIT), Macquarie University
This second report in the decommissioning series, from Professor Soliman Hunter, examined offshore well plugging and abandonment for the union.
The report shows that although wells must be permanently plugged at the end of production, Australia relies too heavily on company self‑reporting, with no mandatory standards, inspections or long‑term monitoring to make sure the work is actually done to best practice.
By comparing Australia with Norway, the UK and Canada, the report highlights that Australia is an outlier in failing to require independent verification or clear ongoing responsibility for abandoned wells.
Importantly, the report makes clear that plugging and abandoning wells is complex, high‑risk work that will be carried out by offshore workers, often years after production has stopped.