RVA Group is no stranger to international travel, with approximately a third of our assignments to date having been completed overseas. 

And global projects look set to dominate much of our 2023 calendar, with managing director Richard Vann, and engineering and consultancy director Mark Taylor, having recently returned from a successful trip to the Middle East.

This visit took the duo – two of our most experienced decommissioning colleagues – to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to bring to a close the completion of a costings study for a Marafiq power plant. This front-end engineering exercise – which began around a year ago – saw the team undertake investigative assessments surrounding the residual useful life and future options for a number of energy assets. These evidence-based options have now been presented back to the client, so they can make informed decisions that will underpin the next step plans for their vast site. 

While in Saudi, we also marked the beginning of a new project with S-Chem. The petrochemicals giant has appointed RVA to help them plan and coordinate one of their decommissioning projects in Al Jubail, which will see the teams collaborate through to the end of the year. The assignment will leverage RVA’s hybrid approach – which became even more popular during the pandemic – which includes remote desk-based research, studies and planning, as well as physical on-site visits over the course of the project.

“Despite us doing this for 30 years – and counting – you still can’t beat the buzz that comes with either a project kick-off, or a completion meeting,” said Richard. “And Saudi Arabia did not disappoint. 

“We were met with a fantastic welcome, and had a productive and memorable trip. We also had the opportunity to see some other sites while we were there, and the scale of the sites is simply phenomenal. I’d go so far as to say we toured one of the biggest demolition undertakings, on a single site, I’ve ever seen.

“The visit was a firm reminder that, while working overseas is not straightforward- from a legal, cultural, logistical or procedural point of view, there is a world of opportunity out there, and I am proud that RVA’s services know no geographical boundaries.”

Richard and Mark met with three other prospective clients during their time in Saudi Arabia, and at the time of writing, RVA learnt that a contract to oversee the dismantling of a desalination plant, has already been secured. More on that, soon…