EN Official Journal of the European Union C 137/27

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 conventional liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons known as the ‘Parentis Maritime Sud licence’)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2015/C 137/04)

On 30 June 2014, Red Rio Petroleum Ltd. (No. 69, 9 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7HD, United Kingdom) and Saturn Petroleum Ltd. (TM Services (UK) Ltd., 5 Charterhouse Sq., London, EC1M 6PX, United Kingdom) applied for an exclusive five-year licence known as the ‘Parentis Maritime Sud licence’, to prospect for conventional liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in the Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments.

The perimeter of the area covered by this licence is demarcated by the straight lines connecting the points defined below:

Point RGF93 — meridian of origin Greenwich A Intersection of the parallel of latitude 44°06′00″ with the dividing line between the exclusive economic areas of France and Spain B Intersection of the parallel of latitude 44°06′00″ with the shore of the French Atlantic coast C Intersection of the shore of the French Atlantic coast with the French-Spanish border

The area as defined above covers approximately 3 587 km2.

Submission of applications and criteria for awarding rights

The applicants for the Parentis Maritime Sud licence and competing applicants must prove that they meet the requirements for obtaining licences set out in Articles 4 and 5 of Decree No 2006-648 of 2 June 2006 (as amended) on mining rights and underground storage rights (Official Journal of the French Republic, 3 June 2006).

Interested companies may, within 90 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, page 11, and established by Decree No 2006-648 of 2 June 2006 (as amended) concerning mining rights and underground storage rights (Official Journal of the French Republic, 3 June 2006).

Competing applications must be sent to the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy at the address given below. Decisions on the Parentis Maritime Sud application and any competing applications will be taken by 16 August 2016 at the latest.

Conditions and requirements regarding performance of the activity and cessation thereof

Applicants are referred to Articles L. 161-1 and L. 161-2 of the Mining Code and to Decree No 2006-649 of 2 June 2006 (as amended) on mining and underground storage operations and the regulations governing mining and underground storage (Official Journal of the French Republic, 3 June 2006).

Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, at the Bureau exploration et production des hydrocarbures (Tour Séquoia, 1, place Carpeaux, 92800 Puteaux, France, tel. +33 140819527).

The abovementioned laws and regulations can be consulted on the Légifrance website: http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr

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