Collecting and displaying the decommissioning of North Sea Oil and Gas at the National Museums Scotland

National Museums Scotland (NMS) has a long history of collecting industrial objects. Our predecessor museum, the Industrial Museum of Scotland, was founded with the intention of collecting the materials and processes of manufacture; that is, contemporary technologies and the tacit skills that went with them [1]. For a lot of the museum’s lifetime the emphasis has tended to be more on historical collecting but there has always been a remit for collecting relevant current material. In recent years, this has been distilled and formalised into a strategic priority within our Collections Development Strategy.

In terms of our energy collections this means that we aim to build on our world-class collections and expertise in the areas of energy generation and consumption, working with industry and universities to collect innovative technology and industrial material as its working life concludes [2]. This collecting target aligns closely with the acquisition of material from transforming industries. This includes the nuclear industry, the oil and gas industry and the renewable energy sector.