decommissioned platform transforms into reef

Erin Englert sometimes wishes she were a scuba diver so she could plunge deep into the U.S. Gulf of America and see the results of her work.

As a Chevron regulatory affairs advisor, she facilitates programs that transform decommissioned oil and gas platforms into marine life habitats.

A recent project involved turning the spar, or hull, of the former Genesis Platform into a gathering spot for creatures like coral, tropical fish and anemones.

Marine life is attracted to offshore platforms, and state officials want the structures to continue to provide ecological benefits when decommissioned.

“Fish are reliant upon them as a habitat,” said Mike McDonough, artificial reef program coordinator with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “It’s rewarding to see them thrive.”

Last year, the Genesis’ spar was submerged deep off Louisiana’s coast, just as other decommissioned structures had been before it.

It’s not unusual for platform energy industry components to be repurposed. For instance, in 2022, Chevron’s Pascagoula Refinery donated equipment for use as artificial reefs.

In its previous life, Genesis was considered an offshore gamechanger. Its innovative 705-foot, 28,700-ton steel floating spar was the first to house both drilling and production facilities.

The platform’s transformation is allowing it to live on in a new, underwater world.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Casey Voisin, offshore installation manager, who worked on the platform for approximately seven years.

“I’m glad I got to see her away and help her find her new purpose. I am honored to have been a part of it.”