United Kingdom Government notice 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 (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2008-12-04
Institutions: United Kingdom
Subjects: United Kingdom, area of holding, energy site, exchange of information, exploitation of resources, hydrocarbon, mineral prospecting, patents licence, petroleum exploration

4.12.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 309/27

United Kingdom Government notice 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

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2008/C 309/08)

Announcement of United Kingdom onshore (Landward) out of round offer on the landward area
above the low water mark in UK ordnance survey block SU60

Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

The Petroleum Act 1998

Onshore Licensing opportunity

The Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) invites interested persons
1.
to apply for a Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences in respect of the landward area above the
low water mark in UK ordnance survey block SU60.

A map of the area on offer is deposited at BERR, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET. The map may
2.
be inspected by prior appointment (tel. (44-207) 215 50 32, fax (44-207) 215 50 70) between 9.15 a.m.
and 4.45 p.m. Monday to Friday during the period of this notice. The map is also available on the BERR oil
and gas website (see below).

Full details of the offer, including a map of the acreage on offer and guidance about licences, the terms
3.
which those licences will include, and how to apply, are available on the Energy Development Unit (EDU)
website:

http://www.og.berr.gov.uk

4.
All applications will be judged in accordance with the Petroleum (Production) (Landward Areas) Regu-
lations 1995 (S.I. 1995 No 1436) and the Hydrocarbons Licensing Directive Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995
No 1434), and against the background of the continuing need for expeditious, thorough, efficient and safe
exploration to identify oil and gas resources within the mainland of Great Britain.

5.

Applications will be judged on the basis of the following criteria:

(a) the financial viability of the applicant and its financial capacity to carry out the activities that would be
permitted under the licence during the initial term including the work programme submitted for evalu-
ating the full potential of the area within the block 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 applied
for. The technical capability will be assessed in part upon the quality of analysis related to the block
applied for;

(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;

(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 responsibility displayed by the applicant in opera-
tions under that licence.

6.
The Secretary of State will not award a licence unless he is prepared to approve the applicant's choice
of operator at the same time. Before approving an operator, the Secretary of State must be satisfied that the
nominee will be competent to plan and manage drilling operations, in terms of the numbers, experience
and training of its staff, the proposed procedures and methodologies, the design of its command structure,
interfaces with contractors and overall corporate strategy. In considering a proposed operator, the Secretary
of State will take into account both new information presented in the application and the nominee's record
as an operator, both within the UK and abroad.

C 309/28

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

4.12.2008

Comprehensive guidance about this offer can be viewed on the Energy Development Unit (EDU)

7.
website:

http://www.og.berr.gov.uk/

Licences

Applicants should note that the Secretary of State has discretion to offer any licence on amended

8.
terms to reflect particular circumstances.

9. Where the Secretary of State offers a licence pursuant to this invitation, the offer will be made within
twelve months of the date of this Notice.

The Secretary of State accepts no liability for any costs incurred by the applicant in considering or

10.
making its application.

Strategic Environmental Assessment

11.
BERR has conducted a Strategic Environmental Assessment covering, among others, the area to be
offered to the standard required in Directive 2001/42/EC on the Assessment of the Effects of Certain Plans
and Programmes on the Environment. The assessment can be found at the Energy Development Unit (EDU)
website:

http://www.og.berr.gov.uk/