Day One ConferenceWednesday, 31 March 2027

Key Discussion Areas:

• Scale, sludge and produced water management
• Cost drivers and operational constraints
• Opportunities for resource recovery and reuse
• Investor perspective: where is value created?

Overview:

This panel will examine the full lifecycle of NORM management in the oil and gas sector, from operational generation and characterisation through treatment, transportation, storage, disposal, reuse, recycling, and ultimately decommissioning. An open discussion will take place on the technical, regulatory, economic, and societal challenges that will be associated with NORM-bearing scales, sludges, contaminated tubing, pipelines, and process equipment, with particular emphasis on how these materials can be managed safely whilst minimising long-term liabilities.

A central focus of the discussion will be the availability and suitability of disposal routes for NORM wastes. Panellists will assess current disposal capacities, regulatory constraints, and the risks that will be associated with long-term storage solutions, including stewardship obligations, environmental monitoring requirements, and potential future liabilities. The session will explore whether existing disposal pathways will remain sustainable as waste volumes increase and regulatory expectations evolve.

The panel will also address the critical role of characterisation and classification of contaminated materials and equipment. Discussions will examine how advances in radiological characterisation, monitoring, and assessment methodologies will improve decision-making regarding clearance, treatment, transportation, reuse, recycling, and disposal. Attention will be given to establishing robust scientific evidence and risk-based approaches that will support regulatory compliance whilst avoiding unnecessary waste generation and disposal costs.

In line with circular economy principles, panellists will explore opportunities for the clearance, reuse, recycling, and recovery of materials that will arise from oil and gas operations. The discussion will consider the technical feasibility, economic viability, regulatory acceptance, and societal expectations that will be associated with recycling metal equipment, recovering valuable materials, and integrating NORM management into broader resource-efficiency strategies. Panellists will identify practical examples where circular approaches will have successfully reduced liabilities and created value whilst maintaining high standards of radiological protection.

Special attention will be given to offshore installations and the growing challenges that will be associated with the decommissioning of ageing offshore platforms. Panel leaders will invite discussion on the characterisation and management of NORM-contaminated infrastructure, the logistical and regulatory complexities of transportation and treatment, cross-border considerations, and the significant financial and environmental implications of decommissioning decisions. The session will explore how innovative technologies, risk-informed regulation, and circular economy approaches will contribute to safer, more sustainable, and cost-effective decommissioning strategies.

The overall objective of the panel will be to identify pathways that balance risk management, environmental protection, scientific evidence, regulatory compliance, and resource recovery, transforming NORM management from a long-term operational burden into an integral component of sustainable and responsible oil and gas operations.

Key Discussion Areas:

• Radionuclide occurrence, mobility, and health implications in groundwater systems
• Innovative treatment technologies and groundwater management approaches
• Public perception, risk communication, and community engagement strategies
• Political and regulatory pressures shaping groundwater management policies

Overview:

This panel will critically examine the risks that will be associated with naturally occurring radionuclides in groundwater systems and the technological, scientific, and policy responses that will be available to address them. Panel leaders will encourage discussion on the latest scientific evidence regarding the occurrence, mobility, exposure pathways, and health implications of radionuclides in groundwater, whilst identifying current knowledge gaps that may affect decision-making and public confidence.

The discussion will explore innovative treatment technologies and groundwater management approaches, assessing their technical effectiveness, operational feasibility, environmental performance, and long-term sustainability. Particular attention will be given to the challenges of translating scientific advances into practical solutions that will be implemented at scale under diverse regulatory and hydrogeological conditions.

Panellists will also address the growing role of public perception, societal expectations, and risk communication in shaping groundwater management strategies. The session will examine how scientific evidence will be communicated transparently and effectively to affected communities, and how concerns regarding health, environmental protection, and water security will be integrated into decision-making processes.

Finally, the panel will explore the influence of political and regulatory pressures on groundwater management policies, including increasing public scrutiny, evolving environmental standards, and the demand for precautionary approaches. The objective will be to identify pathways that balance scientific evidence, risk management, technological innovation, public acceptance, and policy expectations, ensuring the protection of water resources whilst enabling proportionate, effective, and sustainable solutions.

Key Discussion Areas:

• Clearance, exemption and reuse criteria
• Harmonization challenges across jurisdictions
• Liability and long-term stewardship

Overview:

This panel will critically examine whether existing radiation protection frameworks will remain fully fit for purpose in the management of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). Panel leaders will encourage discussion on the fact that many of the fundamental principles, criteria, and regulatory structures currently applied to NORM were originally developed in response to practices involving artificial radionuclides and planned nuclear activities. Whilst these frameworks have provided an essential foundation for protection, the panel will explore whether their application to NORM will always be proportionate to the nature of the risks, exposure scenarios, and material volumes that will be encountered in industrial activities.

A key objective of the session will be to foster a science-based discussion on the interpretation and implementation of regulatory requirements for NORM. Particular attention will be given to how concepts such as activity concentration thresholds, including the widely referenced 1 Bq/g criterion, will be understood, applied, and sometimes misinterpreted in practice. Panellists will explore the extent to which simplified numerical thresholds may, in certain circumstances, overshadow risk-informed decision-making, creating barriers to innovation, resource recovery, and sustainable material management without necessarily providing additional radiological protection.

The discussion will also examine how risk governance can evolve to better reflect the specific characteristics of NORM-bearing materials and industrial processes. Participants will consider the distinction between hazard and risk, the importance of exposure-based assessments, and the role of scientific evidence in supporting proportionate and defensible regulatory decisions. The panel will encourage dialogue on how regulatory frameworks will maintain robust protection standards whilst avoiding unnecessary restrictions that may hinder beneficial uses of materials with very low radiological significance.

In the context of increasing pressure to improve resource efficiency and implement circular economy principles, the panel will explore how regulatory systems will facilitate the safe clearance, reuse, recycling, and valorisation of NORM residues and materials. Discussion will focus on identifying pathways that will enable circularity whilst preserving public confidence and ensuring that worker, public, and environmental protection remain paramount. Particular consideration will be given to regulatory certainty, consistency across jurisdictions, and the development of practical criteria that will support informed decision-making throughout the material lifecycle.

The panel will further address how regulatory and policy frameworks will adapt to emerging societal, environmental, and economic priorities. Participants will be encouraged to discuss whether a broader paradigm shift will be required—one that moves from a predominantly waste-management perspective towards a resource-management approach grounded in risk, evidence, sustainability, and long-term stewardship. Examples of successful regulatory innovation, pragmatic clearance frameworks, and risk-informed governance approaches will be explored as potential models for future development.

The overall objective of the session will be to identify how modern regulatory pathways and risk governance practices will simultaneously ensure high standards of radiological protection, strengthen public trust, support scientific and evidence-based decision-making, and enable the safe integration of NORM materials into circular industrial systems. Such an approach will seek not to lower safety standards, but rather to ensure that regulation is proportionate to risk, responsive to emerging challenges, and capable of supporting both protection and sustainable resource management.