TAQA UK: delivering excellence in Decommissioning – Hear from a TAQA UK panel as they discuss their experiences, insights and lessons gained during their decommissioning journey.

TAQA UK has played a significant role in the UK offshore oil and gas industry since acquiring its first North Sea interests in 2006.

Today, TAQA UK’s portfolio puts them at the forefront of late-life operations and decommissioning in the UK North Sea.

This event is an opportunity to engage with and ask questions of a panel of TAQA UK experts, who are all playing a significant role in TAQA UK’s decommissioning journey.

Meet your panel.

Panellists biographies:

Rachel Lucken, HR Manager, TAQA UK

Rachel Lucken has built her HR career from the ground up at TAQA UK. With both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in management and human resource management from RGU, Rachel joined the company in 2014 as an HR Placement Student. Her dedication and passion for people development saw her quickly progressing through a variety of HR roles, culminating in her appointment as HR Manager. Rachel partners closely with senior leadership to shape the future workforce, placing a strong emphasis on retaining essential skills and nurturing talent to ensure the safe and effective delivery of TAQA’s decommissioning programme. She guided the HR team through significant organisational change, championing employee support and preparing colleagues for new opportunities beyond TAQA.

Alastair MacLean, Decommissioning Manager, TAQA UK

Alastair MacLean brings a wealth of expertise to TAQA UK, having laid a solid academic foundation with a Geology degree from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in environmental management and technology. His early career saw him championing environmental standards at Scottish Water, Subsea 7, and Shell before joining TAQA in 2008. Since then, Alastair has held a succession of management roles spanning HSSEQ, midstream operations, and decommissioning. As a founding member of TAQA’s decommissioning directorate in 2018, he now leads the charge on decommissioning strategy, whilst also ensuring all projects meet rigorous regulatory standards. Alastair’s role sees him regularly engaging with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, from TAQA headquarters and regulatory authorities to joint venture partners and industry bodies. Always keen to stay ahead, he is currently pursuing an MSc in Decommissioning at the University of Aberdeen.

Natasha Morris, Supply Chain Manager, TAQA UK

Natasha Morris’s journey from law graduate at RGU to Supply Chain Manager at TAQA UK is marked by her commercial acumen and industry insight. She began her oil and gas career with Subsea 7’s commercial graduate scheme in 2008, before joining TAQA in 2012. Since then, Natasha has brought her contracts and procurement expertise to a range of business areas, with a growing focus on decommissioning and project delivery. In February 2025, she stepped into the role of Supply Chain Manager, where she leverages her extensive experience to support TAQA’s evolving business needs and drive successful outcomes across the decommissioning portfolio.

Malcolm McCombie, Brae Alpha Area Project Manager

Malcolm McCombie brings over a decade of offshore project expertise to his role as Brae Alpha Area Project Manager at TAQA UK. A graduate of Robert Gordon University with both an MEng in Electronic and Electrical Engineering and a PgD in Project Management, Malcolm began his career in 2012 with Marathon Oil as an Instrumentation Engineer. He quickly expanded his technical knowledge, progressing through roles as a Subsea Engineer and Project Lead before joining TAQA UK.

Today, Malcolm manages the programme of decommissioning projects for the Brae Alpha platform, overseeing the critical de-energisation, disembarkation and EPRD projects along with the disconnection of the subsea assets. His extensive offshore experience spans construction, pipelay, diving and heavy lift operations, including the high-profile removal of the Brae Bravo Topsides and Upper Jacket.

Stephanie Cooper, Senior Project Engineer, TAQA UK

Stephanie Cooper’s commitment to engineering excellence began with her mechanical and offshore engineering degree from RGU, complemented by three years of hands-on summer placements. She joined TAQA as a graduate mechanical engineer in 2016 and swiftly advanced to asset mechanical engineer for the North Cormorant and Eider platforms. In 2021, Stephanie transitioned to a pivotal project engineering role, orchestrating key aspects of TAQA’s Brae field decommissioning and removal efforts. Now a chartered engineer with IMechE, Stephanie’s standout moments include representing TAQA onboard the Sleipnir semi-submersible crane vessel during the high-profile removal of the Brae Alpha West Drill Rig and Brae Bravo Upper Jacket.

Darren Bewick, Wells Superintendent

With 30 years’ hands-on experience in well abandonment, completion, integrity and intervention, Darren Bewick stands as a pillar of well engineering expertise at TAQA. His global career began offshore with Schlumberger and expanded into supervisory and engineering positions at Halliburton, BP, Talisman Energy, BG, LR Senergy, and TAQA, spanning the UK, Middle East, Africa, Colombia, and North America. Since 2017, Darren has been at the forefront of TAQA’s well engineering projects, including the Cormorant Alpha and Pelican/UMC subsea programmes, and the Harding wells. Promoted to Lead Engineer in 2022 and Wells Superintendent in 2023, he now oversees the ambitious 32-well Brae Alpha platform abandonment campaign, ensuring safety and operational excellence every step of the way.