Shell begins huge task of decommissioning Brent oil rigs

After a decade of planning and consultation, removal of Brent field rigs built in 1970s could take up to 10 years to complete

Shell will this week unveil a plan to dismantle four enormous oil rigs in the North Sea, kicking off a vast and controversial decommissioning project.

The Brent field rigs were built in the 1970s and produced around a tenth of the UK's North Sea oil. But three of the four - Alpha, Bravo and Delta - have now shut down, and this summer the company will embark on a multibillion-pound eight- to 10-year project to remove the vast drilling and accommodation structures.