EN Official Journal of the European Union C 119/25

Communication from the French Government concerning Directive 94/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the conditions for granting and using authorisations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons (1)

(Notice regarding an application for an exclusive licence to prospect for liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, designated the ‘Gex Licence’)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2008/C 119/08)

By request of 14 June 2007, corrected on 7 January 2008, Egdon Resources (New Ventures) Ltd, a company with registered offices at Suite 2, 90-96 High Street, Odiham, Hampshire, RG29 1LP (United Kingdom), Eagle Energy Limited, a company with registered offices at 21 Beresford Avenue, East Twickenham, TW1 2PY (United Kingdom) and Nautical Petroleum plc, a company with registered offices at Parnell House, 25 Wilton Road, London SW1V 1YD (United Kingdom) applied for an exclusive five-year licence designated the ‘Gex Licence’, to prospect for liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in an area of approximately 932 square kilometres, covering part of the departments of Haute Savoie, Ain and Jura.

The perimeter of the area covered by this licence consists of the meridian and parallel arcs connecting in turn the points defined below by their geographical coordinates in degrees, the prime meridian being that of Paris.

Point A: intersection of the parallel of latitude 51,60° N with the dividing line between France and Switzerland

Points Longitude Latitude B 4,00° E 51,60° N C 4,00° E 51,40° N D 3,90° E 51,40° N E 3,90° E 51,10° N F 4,30° E 51,10° N

Point G: intersection of the meridian of longitude 4,30° E with the dividing line between France and Switzerland

Points A to G: dividing line between France and Switzerland

Part of this application overlaps with the Moussières application published in the Official Journal of the European Union of 11 April 2007, while the other part does not. Only the part which does not overlap with the Moussières application is open to competition. Its perimeter consists of the meridian and parallel arcs connecting in turn the points defined below by their geographical coordinates in degrees, the prime meridian being that of Paris.

Point A: intersection of the parallel of latitude 51,60° N with the dividing line between France and Switzerland

Points Longitude Latitude B 4,00° E 51,60° N C 4,00° E 51,30° N D 3,90° E 51,30° N E 3,90° E 51,10° N F 4,30° E 51,10° N

Point G: intersection of the meridian of longitude 4,30° E with the dividing line between France and Switzerland

Points A to G: dividing line between France and Switzerland

Submission of applications and criteria for awarding rights

The initial applicant and competing applicants must prove that they meet the requirements for obtaining the licence, specified in Articles 4 and 5 of Decree No 2006-648 of 2 June 2006 concerning mining rights and underground storage rights (Journal officiel de la République française, 3 June 2006).

Interested companies may, within ninety days of the publication of this notice, submit a competing application in accordance with the procedure summarised in the ‘Notice regarding the granting of mining rights for hydrocarbons in France’ published in Official Journal of the European Communities C 374 of 30 December 1994, p. 11, and established by Decree No 2006-648 concerning mining rights and underground storage rights. Competing applications must be sent to the Minister responsible for mines at the address below.

The decisions on the initial application and the competing applications will be based on the criteria governing the award of mining rights, as set out in Article 6 of the abovementioned Decree and will be taken by 18 June 2009 at the latest.

Conditions and requirements regarding performance of the activity and cessation thereof

Applicants are referred to Articles 79 and 79.1 of the Mining Code and to Decree No 2006-649 of 2 June 2006 on mining and underground storage operations and the regulations governing mining and underground storage (Journal officiel de la République française, 3 June 2006).

Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Town and Country Planning (Directorate-General for Energy and Raw Materials, Directorate for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mining Legislation Office), 61, boulevard Vincent Auriol, Télédoc 133, F-75703 Paris Cedex 13 (tel. (33) 144 97 23 02, fax (33) 144 97 05 70). The abovementioned laws and regulations can be consulted at: http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr

(1) OJ L 164, 30.6.1994, p. 3.