Kent expands into decommissioning through acquiring Exceed

Engineering group Kent has agreed to acquire Exceed (XCD) Holdings, a provider of well management, subsurface and decommissioning engineering services.

For Kent, the deal represents an expansion into the global decommissioning market. The group aims to position itself as a full-service provider across the energy lifecycle, including late-life operations through decommissioning of clients’ facilities.

Exceed is based in Aberdeen with operations in more than 40 countries, and it has long experience in complex offshore well projects, supporting drilling of over 70 wells and decommissioning of more than 150 wells.

In the UK North Sea, Exceed has supported decommissioning of developments including the subsea Osprey and Merlin fields as well as P&A of wells at the fields’ host Dunlin platform.

The company is also repurposing offshore reservoirs for carbon capture and hydrogen storage projects, which is a market Kent is also supporting.

“We’ve built Exceed over 20 years," said Ian Mills, Exceed’s managing director. "Joining forces with Kent is the natural next step, providing the management support and global reach to scale our expertise to new markets while preserving the same culture, entrepreneurial spirit and values that define us.”

Kent expects to complete the acquisition later this year.