Notice of a tender procedure for the granting of licences for onshore exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons

(2019/C 154/03)

Pursuant to Article 15(3) of the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Exploitation Act (Narodne Novine (NN; Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia) No 52/2018) and the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Croatia on launching a tender procedure for the granting of licences for the onshore exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons (Class: 022-03/18-04/327, Ref. No 50301-25/06-18-3), on 31 October 2018 the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency, on behalf of the Republic of Croatia, published the following

NOTICE OF A TENDER PROCEDURE FOR THE GRANTING OF LICENCES FOR ONSHORE EXPLORATION AND EXPLOITATION OF HYDROCARBONS

The Government of the Republic of Croatia invites all interested persons to submit bids for licences for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in respect of the onshore exploration blocks on offer.

The tender documentation and all information and notices relating to the procedure shall be published on the official websites of the Ministry of the Protection of the Environment and Energy — www.mzoe.hr and the Hydrocarbon Agency — www.azu.hr.

1. Basic information regarding licences

Licences for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons are issued in respect of onshore exploration blocks. Licences for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons grant investors the right to carry out exploration of hydrocarbons in a specific exploration block and to enter into contracts for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons, as well as the direct award of the hydrocarbon extraction licence, provided that they fulfil all the conditions laid down in the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Exploitation Act.

Licences for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons shall be granted to successful bidders for a maximum period of thirty (30) years, which includes both the exploration period and the exploitation period, starting on the date that the contract enters into force.

Investors shall, in accordance with the conditions set out in the licence, enter into a contract with the Government of the Republic of Croatia for the exploration of hydrocarbons and the sharing of exploitation benefits within six (6) months from the date of issue of the licence for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons.

2. Information regarding exploration blocks

The tender procedure for licences for the onshore exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons will be carried out in respect of seven exploration blocks:

1. Exploration block Drava-03 (DR-03)

2. Exploration block Sava-06 (SA-06)

3. Exploration block Sava-07 (SA-07)

4. Exploration block Sava-11 (SA-11)

5. Exploration block Sava-12 (SA-12)

6. Exploration block Sjeverozapadna Hrvatska-01 [North-western Croatia-01] (SZH-01)

7. Exploration block Sjeverozapadna Hrvatska-05 [North-western Croatia-05] (SZH-05)

Maps and coordinates of the exploration blocks are provided in the tender documentation.

3. Indicative date/deadline for granting licences

Bids must be submitted by 28 June 2019 and the indicative deadline for granting licences is 31 October 2019.

4. Criteria for the selection of bidders

Under Article 2(2) of Directive 94/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 1994 on the conditions for granting and using authorisations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons (OJ L 164, 30.6.1994, p. 3) in relation to national security and in accordance with Article 19 of the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Exploitation Act, the criteria to be taken into consideration in order to select the most advantageous bidder are:

1. the technical, financial and professional competence of the bidder;

2. how the bidder intends to carry out the activities covered by the licence for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons;

3. the overall quality of the bid submitted;

4. the financial conditions offered by the bidder in exchange for the licence for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons; and

5. any lack of efficiency or responsibility in any form displayed by the bidder in other countries and in previous activities covered by a licence for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons.

Another criterion for selecting the bidder is the fee for entering into the contract for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons, the minimum amount of which is laid down in the regulation referred to in Article 51 of the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Exploitation Act.

If, following an evaluation on the basis of the criteria under the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Exploitation Act, two or more bids are of equal merit, other relevant, objective and non-discriminatory criteria shall be taken into account for the final decision.