We caught up with Iain Bell, UK Tubular Sales & Purchasing Manager for John Lawrie Tubulars, to find out more about preparation for the SPE Offshore Europe Virtual Conference which will see John Lawrie Tubulars co-present a technical paper, titled "The Environmental Benefits of Repurposing Tubular Steel from North SeaOil and Gas Fields”.
The paper has been developed in collaboration with Giraffe Innovation and will be presented by Professor Rob Holdway and Mark Dowling, of Giraffe Innovation, and Iain Bell from John Lawrie Tubulars at the Decommissioning Session. The session will touch upon how decommissioning can be optimised and the repurpose opportunities that reduce the environmental impact. Iain tells us more...
Q: What are you most looking forward to at this year’s SPE OffshoreEurope Virtual Conference?
IB: I’m most looking forward to showing and discussing the amazing findings from our paper and highlighting the real benefits of using John Lawrie’s repurposed tubulars compared to the production of new prime steel. Following the production of a bespoke life cycle assessment unique to our specific business management processes in 2020, we can now show that for every tonne of repurposed John Lawrie tubulars, there is a CO2e saving of over 97% .
Q:What are you looking forward to during the Decommissioning Session?
IB: I’m looking forward to John Lawrie Tubulars being part of the decommissioning community as a whole. It’s great to see decommissioning take more of a prominent role in SPE Offshore Europe Virtual Conference this year and for John Lawrie Tubulars to play an important part of the conversation. Plus, it’s good to see the increasing profile of repurpose opportunities, especially ahead of COP 26 later this year. Which, incidentally, we have donated 14 steel tubulars for piling, originally from oil and gas, for the construction of the Hope Sculpture; a 23.5m public art installation to be unveiled in time for COP26 that will symbolise the fragility of both our environment and our mental health. We were delighted to support this project and through the supply of these 14 tubulars have helped save 33.89 tonnes of CO2e by avoiding the need to produce steel piling from raw material.
Repurposing is at the heart of John Lawrie Tubulars, we’ve been doing it for 30 years and it’s what we do best. We’re positive that the technical paper will open doors and really show on an international stage the environmental benefits and potential of our repurposed tubulars.
Q:How do you feel about presenting at a virtual conference compared to an in-person conference?
IB: Of course, I’d rather be there in person. You can’t really replace meeting people face to face. But we all have to make the best of this situation and I’m pleased a fantastic event like this one can go ahead. Plus, as a company, we’re excited to be able to meet new people in the industry and discuss all the relevant and current topics on the agenda when the exhibition takes place in February 2022
Q:How do you think we can all work together to support the net zero goal?
IB: From a company’s perspective, transparency of information about what materials can be repurposed from the start of the project is important. I think it would be really beneficial when it comes to repurposing anything, not just tubulars.
At John Lawrie Tubulars, we care about continually reducing our impact on the environment and helping our clients reduce their carbon emissions. We’re passionate about the circular economy and leading the way to show that it can and should be done.
Q:What does it mean to the company to be part of SPE Offshore Europe VirtualConference?
IB: For us to be on the stage at SPE Offshore Europe Virtual Conference is amazing. It’s so good for John Lawrie Tubulars and a great opportunity to showcase what we do to the world.
As a company, we’re delighted to share this platform with other leading experts in the decommissioning sector, and raise the awareness of our repurposed material, its environmental benefits and opportunities to a larger audience.
