United Kingdom Government notice concerning 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 (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2001-07-24
Institutions: United Kingdom
Subjects: United Kingdom, energy site, exploitation of resources, hydrocarbon, mineral prospecting, patents licence

24.7.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 206/3

United Kingdom Government notice concerning 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

(2001/C 206/03)

(Text with EEA relevance)

DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY

THE PETROLEUM (PRODUCTION) (LANDWARD AREAS) REGULATIONS 1995

1. The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry invites
interested persons,
in accordance with the Petroleum
(Production) (Landward Areas) Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995
No 1436) and the Hydrocarbons Licensing Directive Regu-
lations 1995 (S.I. 1995 No 1434), to apply for petroleum
exploration and development
the
blocks coloured yellow on maps 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
(44-207)
215 50 07, fax (44-207) 215 56 65) between 9.15 a.m. and
4.45 p.m. Monday to Friday until 31 October 2001. The
maps are also available on the DTI’s oil and gas website:
http://www.og.dti.gov.uk. This
tenth round of
landward licensing.

licences in respect of

215 50 06

(44-207)

(tel.

the

or

is

APPLICATIONS FOR LICENCES

2. In respect of all blocks referred to in paragraph 1 above:

(a) applications should be made on a standard 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, Exploration and
Development
and Gas Directorate,
Department of Trade and Industry, 1 Victoria Street,
London,
(44-207) 215 51 11 or
(44-207) 215 50 32, fax (44-207) 215 51 42). This docu-
mentation is also available on the DTI’s oil and gas
website: http://www.og.dti.gov.uk;

SW1H 0ET (tel.

Branch, Oil

(b) applications should be delivered to the Oil and Gas
Directorate of the Department of Trade and Industry
at 1 Victoria Street, Londen, SW1H 0ET between
9.30 a.m. and 12 noon on 31 October 2001 together
with a
application. No
applications will be accepted after 12 noon on 31
October 2001;

fee of GBP 1 000 per

(c) applicants are requested to indicate where possible any
preferences they have as between the blocks they have
applied for, and should indicate if any of the blocks
applied for are alternatives;

(e)

further guidance on the material with which applicants
may support their applications is given in Notes for
Applicants, available from the Department of Trade
and Industry or
from the the DTI’s oil and gas
web-site: http://www.og.dti.gov.uk;

(f) unless otherwise stated in the Notes for Applicants,
material supplied in support of applications will be
treated in confidence;
such material will not be
disclosed to third parties without the agreement of the
applicant, unless it is disclosed in accordance with the
terms of any licence awarded subsequent
to this
application, or already in the public domain or the
disclosure is required by law.

3. Applications will be judged against the background of the
continuing need for expeditious, thorough, efficient and safe
exploration to identify oil and gas resources within the
mainand of Great Britain, 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 under the licence
during the initial term including the work programme
submitted for evaluating the full potential of the area
within the block or blocks applied for;

(b) the technical capability of the applicant to carry out
activities that would be permitted under the licence
during the initial term including the identification of
hydrocarbon prospects within the block or blocks
applied for. The technical capabilities will be assessed
in part upon the quality of geological analysis related
to the block or blocks applied for, (including taking into
account whether the technical work already done or
proposed is innovative);

(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 paragraph 7 below);

(c)

the way in which the applicant proposes to carry out
the activities that would be permitted under the licence
including the quality of the work programme submitted
for evaluating the full potential of the area applied for;

C 206/4

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

24.7.2001

(d) where the applicant holds or has held a licence granted
under or treated as having been granted under the
Petroleum Act 1998, any lack of efficiency and respon-
sibility displayed by the applicant in operations under
that licence.

4. Following examination of all applications in respect of the
blocks referred to in paragraph 1, the Secretary of State will
the applicants to whom he is prepared to award
select
licences. If there are two or more applicants for a block
who would be equally acceptable to the Secretary of State
as licensees for that block he may suggest that the licence
should be held jointly by some or all of the applicants.
Applicants to whom the Secretary of State is prepared to
award licences will be notified within a period of six
months commencing on 31 October 2001.

5. 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.

6. 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 acceptance of all the terms of
the licence and a work programme proposed by the
following discussion with the
Secretary of State
applicant; and

(b) remits

to the Secretary of State
consideration referred to in paragraph 8(a)
licence.

the

appropriate
the
for

LICENCE TERM AND CONSIDERATION PAYABLE

7. Licences issued in respect of

the blocks referred to in
paragraph 1 will incorporate clauses based on the model
clauses set out in Schedule 3 to the Petroleum (Production)
(Landward Areas) Regulations 1995. Licences will have an
initial term of six years and a second term of five years. A
licence may be extended after the expiry of the second term
for a further period of 20 years.

8. The consideration required in respect of petroleum explo-
ration and development licences granted as a result of this
invitation will be:

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

each square

accepted, of GBP 25 for
comprised in the licensed area;

(b) on the first, second, third, fourth and fifth anniversaries
of the date of commencement of the licence term, the
sum of GBP 25 will be payable for each square
kilometre in the area to which the licence then relates;

(c) on the sixth and subsequent anniversaries of the date of
commencement of the licence term, payments calculated
by reference to the number of square kilometres in the
area to which the licence then relates and subject to
biennial review in line with movements in the Index
crude oil acquired by refineries
of
(published in the Digest of UK energy statistics) if the
Secretary of State
Further details
concerning the payments due are available from the
Department of Trade and Industry of from the DTI’s
oil and gas website: http://www.og.dti.gov.uk;

so determines.

the price of

(d) 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.