EN Official Journal of the European Union C 142/41

Notice of application for an exploration licence in accordance with Directive 94/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 1994

(2005/C 142/05)

(Text with EEA relevance)

ITALIAN REPUBLIC

REGION OF SICILY

REGIONAL MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY

REGIONAL DEPARTMENT OF MINING

Regional Office for hydrocarbons and geothermal energy

On 21 November 2003, in accordance with Sicilian Regional Law No 14 of 3 July 2000, which transposes and applies Directive 94/22/EC, Edison Gas S.p.A., with registered office at Foro Buonaparte 31, Milan and Tax Code 10578610155, applied to the Regional Minister for Industry, the competent authority for granting mining rights in the Region of Sicily, at Via Ugo La Malfa 87/89, 90146 Palermo, for a licence to prospect for oil and gas in an area conventionally known as ‘Castronuovo’, extending over 749,78 km2 in the municipalities of Alessandria della Rocca, Bivona, Burgio, Cammarata, Casteltermini, Lucca Sicula, S. Biagio Platani and Santo Stefano Quisquinia in the Province of Agrigento, and Campofelice di Fitalia, Castronuovo di Sicilia, Corleone, Chiusa Sclafani, Godrano, Lercara Friddi, Mezzojuso, Palazzo Adriano, Prizzi, Roccapalumba and Vicari in the Province of Palermo.

The perimeter of the area for which the licence is requested is marked by a continuous line drawn between points A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H as defined below:

A. Trigonometric point at 1 211 m elevation on Pizzo di Casa. This coincides with point G in the application for the ‘Montemaggiore Belsito’ licence.

B. Point located 100 m north of the geodetic point at 538 m elevation located south of Regalgioffoli, on the Roccapalumba–Caccamo road. This coincides with point F in the application for the ‘Montemaggiore Belsito’ licence.

C. Point located on Cozzo della Issa, at 559 m elevation, in the S. Nicola district, 1 820 m WNW of the railway station at Cammarata. This coincides with point E in the application for the ‘Montemaggiore Belsito’ licence.

D. Trigonometric point at 1 578 m elevation at Monte Cammarata, WSW of the built-up areas of S. Giovanni Gemini and Cammarata. This coincides with point D in the application for the ‘Montemaggiore Belsito’ licence.

E. Trigonometric point at 636 m elevation at Cozzo della Mulicedda, NE of the built-up area of S. Biagio Platani. This coincides with point L in the application for the ‘Casteltermini’ licence.

F. Point located at the 12-kilometre milestone on the municipal road leading to Bivona from State Highway 386 near the built-up area of Calamonaci.

G. Point located 500 m NNE of the Villafranca Sicula — Lucca Sicula junction on the road leading to the latter.

H. Trigonometric point at 1 197 m elevation on Mount Colomba.

Geographical coordinates

Point Longitude E (M. Mario) Latitude N A 00° 59' 34" 37° 50' 32,50" B 01° 11' 08" 37° 49' 09" C 01° 12' 06" 37° 39' 27" D 01° 09' 20" 37° 37' 08" E 01° 05' 47" 37° 31' 23" F 00° 55' 39" 37° 34' 14" G 00° 50' 30,10" 37° 34' 45,40" H 00° 54' 03" 37° 42' 34"

Interested parties may submit an application for a licence for the same area within 90 days of the date of publication of this notice in the Official Journal of the European Union; applications received after that period will be deemed inadmissible. The Decree granting the exploration licence will be issued within six months of the closing date for the submission of competing applications.

With reference to Article 5(1) of Directive 94/22/EC, notice is also given that the criteria for granting prospection licences, exploration licences and production licences have already been published in Official Journal of the European Communities C 396 of 19 December 1998, with reference to Legislative Decree of the President of the Republic No 625 of 25 November 1996 (published in Official State Gazette of the Italian Republic No 293 of 14 December 1996), which transposes and implements the aforementioned Directive in Italian law, and were specified by the abovementioned Sicilian Regional Law No 14 of 3 July 2000 (published in Official Gazette of the Region of Sicily No 32 of 7 July 2000).

The conditions and requirements regarding performance or cessation of activities are laid down by the abovementioned Sicilian Regional Law No 14 and in the Standard Specifications issued by Decree of 30 October 2003 of the Regional Minister for Industry and published in Official Gazette of the Region of Sicily No 49 of 14 November 2003.

The application documents have been deposited at the Regional Office for Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy of the Regional Mining Department at No 87, Via C. Camilliani, 90145 Palermo, where they may be consulted by any interested party.