United Kingdom Government notice concerning European Parliament and Council Directive 94/22/EC of 30 May 1994 on the conditions for granting and using authorisations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2000-11-10
Institutions: United Kingdom
Subjects: United Kingdom, exploitation of resources, extraction of oil, hydrocarbon

C 321/16

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

10.11.2000

United Kingdom Government notice concerning European Parliament and Council Directive
94/22/EC of 30 May 1994 on the conditions for granting and using authorisations for the pros-
pection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons

(2000/C 321/04)

(Text with EEA relevance)

DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY

THE PETROLEUM (PRODUCTION) (SEAWARD AREAS) REGULATIONS 1988

1. The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry invites
interested persons,
in accordance with the Petroleum
(Seaward Areas) Regulations 1988 (SI 1988
(Production)
No 1213), as amended ((cid:145)the 1988 Regulation(cid:146)), and the
Hydrocarbons Licensing Directive Regulations 1995 (SI
1995 No 1434),
to apply for petroleum production
licences in respect of the blocks listed in the Schedule to
this notice which were not subject to an existing petroleum
production licence on 31 July 2000. Maps which show the
blocks available for applications have been deposited at the
library at the Department of Trade and Industry, 1 Victoria
Street, London SW1H 0ET. These maps may be inspected
by prior appointment, tel. (44-207) 215 50 06 or (44-207)
215 50 07,
fax (44-207) 215 56 65 between 09.15 and
16.45 Monday to Friday until Tuesday 27 February 2001.
The maps are also available on the DTI’s oil and gas
the United
website, http://www.og.dti.gov.uk. This
Kingdom continental shelf (UKCS) 19th round of licensing.

is

2. Any licence awarded in respect of a block available for
application in accordance with point 1 above will incor-
porate in substance, subject to certain modifications and
additional provisions to deal with matters referred to
below, the model clauses set out in Schedule 4 to the
Petroleum (Production) (Seaward Areas) Regulations 1988
(as amended) except that the amendments to model clauses
set out in paragraphs (a)(ii) and (c) to (h) of Regulation 8 of
the Petroleum (Production) (Seaward Areas) (Amendment)
Regulations 1996 will not apply.

APPLICATIONS FOR LICENCES

3. In respect of the blocks referred to in point 1:

(a) applications

should

on the

standard
be made
application form available from the Department of
Trade and Industry; copies of
the application form
and all other documents referred to in the text of
this notice as being available from the Department of
Trade and Industry may be obtained from the Licensing
Branch, Oil and Gas Directorate, Department of Trade
and Industry, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET, tel.
fax
(44-207) 215 51 11 or
(44-207) 215 50 32,
(44-207) 215 51 42. This documentation is
also
available on the DTI oil and gas website;

(b) applications should be delivered to the Oil and Gas
Directorate of the Department of Trade and Industry
at 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET, together with
a fee of GBP 2 820 per application. Applications will
be received between 09.30 and 13.00 on Tuesday 27

February 2001. No applications will be accepted after
13.00 on Tuesday 27 February 2001;

(c) applicants are requested to indicate if they have any
preferences between the blocks they have applied for;

(d) applicants are required to provide details of the work
programme for the initial term which they intend to
carry out if awarded a licence (see point 9 below);

(e) applicants who are

also proposed operators

are
required to submit a statement of their general environ-
mental policy for the conduct of licensed activities in
seaward areas;

(f)

further guidance on the material with which applicants
may support their applications is given in (cid:145)notes for
applicants(cid:146), available from the Department of Trade
and Industry;

(g) unless otherwises stated in the notes for applicants,
material supplied in support of applications will be
such material will not be
treated in confidence;
the agreement of
disclosed to third parties without
the applicant, unless
is already in the public
domain or disclosure in required by law.

it

4. Applications will be judged against the background of the
continuing need for expeditious, thorough, efficient and
safe explorations to identify oil and gas resources of the
United Kingdom continental shelf, with due regard to
environmental considerations. Applications will be judged
on the basis of the following criteria:

(a) the financial capability of the applicant to carry out the
activities that would be permitted during the initial
term of any licences or licences awarded including
the work programme submitted for evaluating the full
potential of
the area within the relevant block or
blocks;

(b) the technical capability of the applicant to carry out the
activities that would be permitted during the initial
identification of hydrocarbon
term including the
prospects within the
relevant block or blocks.
Technical capability will be assessed in part upon the
quality of geological analysis related to the block or
blocks (taking into account whether work done was
innovative);

10.11.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 321/17

(c) the way in which the applicant proposes to carry out
the activities that would be permitted during the initial
term including the quality of
the work programme
submitted for evaluating the full potential of the area
applied for;

(d) where the applicant holds or has held a licence of any
description under the Petroleum Act 1998 or previous
legislation having similar effect, any lack of efficiency
in
and responsibility displayed by the
operations under that licence.

applicant

subject

impact of activities

listed in the Annex is
the potential

5. Applicants should note that the offer of licences over any
of
the blocks
to an
that
assessment of
might be carried out under the licence on any sites that
could be nominated as candidate special areas of conser-
vation under the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC o special
protection areas under the Birds Directive 79/409/EEC.
In the event that the Secretary of State has to withdraw
any of the listed blocks from the invitation to apply for
the United Kingdom Government accepts no
licences,
liability for any costs
in
considering or making its application. Details of conditions
to be attached to licences additional to those imposed by
the model clauses set out
in the 1988 Regulations as
amended will accompany any correspondence offering
the award of a licence. Such conditions will also be incor-
porated into the main body of the licence.

incurred by the applicant

6. Following examination of all applications in respect of the
blocks referred to in point 1, the Secretary of State will
select the applicants to whom he is prepared to award
licences. Applicants to whom the Secretary of State is
prepared to award a licence will be notified no later than
one year after 27 February 2001.

7. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing. An
applicant will be notified of the reasons for the Secretary
of State’s decision if he submits a written request for this
information to be provided.

8. In all cases where the Secretary of State is prepared to
award a licence, it will be offered on the condition that,
within 28 days of the date on which the Secretary of State
makes the offer, the applicant:

(a) confirms

in writing his
programme proposed by
following discussion with the applicant;

acceptance of
a work
the Secretary of State

(b) remits

to the Secretary of State the appropriate
the

consideration referred to in point 11(a)
licence; and

for

(c) confirms in writing his acceptance of any special
conditions with which he has been asked to comply.

LICENCE TERM AND CONSIDERATION PAYABLE

This second term may be extended beyond 12 years for a
further period of 18 years.

the initial

term. The licensee will

10. The option to continue the licence into the second term
may be exercised by the licensee giving notice in writing to
this effect not less than three months before the expiration
of
in exercising this
option be required to surrender part of the licensed area
except where the area consists of less than 30 sections (a
(cid:145)section(cid:146) being defined as a part of a block comprising an
area bounded by minute lines of longitude and latitude one
minute apart respectively). Where a part is required to be
surrendered, it should be calculated as follows:

(i) if the area originally comprised in the licence consisted
of 60 or more sections, the part to be surrendered
should be not
the number of such
sections; or

less than half

(ii) if the area originally comprised in the licence consisted
of more than 30 but fewer than 60 sections, the part
to be surrendered should be such number as will leave
a continuing part consisting of 30 sections.

Any area to be surrendered must comply with model
clause 8 in Schedule 4 to the 1988 Regulations as it
to the amendments made to it by the
stood prior
Petroleum (Production)
(Amendment)
Regulations 1996 and must be described in the said notice.

(Seaward Areas)

11. The consideration required in respect of production
in

this invitation will

licences granted as a result of
summary be:

(a) an initial payment, at the time the offer of a licence is
each square kilometre

accepted, of GBP 410 for
comprised in the licensed area;

the date of commencement of

(b) subsequent annual payments commencing on the sixth
anniversary of
the
licence term (following exercise of the option to hold
the licence for a second term) when the sum of
GBP 470 will be payable for each square kilometre in
the area to which the licence then relates and rising by
annual increments of GBP 470 until an annual sum of
GBP 7 050 is payable for each square kilometre
comprised in the licence area,
to biennial
review in line with movements in the index of the
price of crude oil acquired by refineries (published in
the (cid:145)Digest of UK Energy Statistics(cid:146)) if the Secretary of
State so determines. The Secretary of State will not
make a biennial determination increasing or decreasing
the annual payments due unless the determination will
result in the payment set being over 5 % higher or
lower than that set by the previous determination, or
in the case of the first biennial determination, over 5 %
than GBP 7 050 for each square kilometre.
higher
Further details concerning the payments due are
available from the Department of Trade and Industry;

subject

9. Subject as below, licences issued in respect of the blocks
referred to in point 1 will have an initial term of six years
with an option to extend for a second term of 12 years.

(c) a royalty at the rate of 12,5 % payable in respect of
petroleum won and saved from any field part of which
received development consent prior to 1 April 1982.

C 321/18

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

10.11.2000

Applications are invited for blocks in the following quadrants and part quadrants which were designated under The
Continental Shelf (Designations of Areas) Order 1999/2021:

ANNEX

Q166 1, 2, 3, 4, 5;

Q176 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30;

Q204 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 21;

Q212 30;

Q213 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 26, 27;

Q214 1, 6.

List of criteria specifying cases of reasonable doubt within the meaning of Article 15 of the GSP
Regulation

(2000/C 321/05)

Article 15(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 2820/98 of 21 December 1998 (1) provides that
the
Commission, in cooperation with the Committee referred to in Article 31 of the Regulation, shall draw
up a non-exhaustive list of criteria specifying cases of reasonable doubt which may arise in applying the
special incentive arrangements concerning labour rights referred to in Title II of this Regulation, at the
latest by the time a request for special preference is granted for the first time.

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1649/2000 of 25 July 2000 (2) grants the Republic of Moldova the benefit
of the special incentive arrangements concerning labour rights from 1 October 2000.

The following are considered to be cases of reasonable doubt concerning entitlement to the special
incentives concerning labour rights:

(cid:151) failure to utilise administrative cooperation to check the certificates referred to in Article 14,

(cid:151) reliable general information raising doubts about compliance with the social standards referred to in
Article 11 in the production of goods certified as being produced in conformity with these standards.

(1) OJ L 357, 30.12.1998, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 189, 27.7.2000, p. 13.