United Kingdom Government notice concerning European Parliament and Council Directive 94/22/EC on the conditions for granting and using authorisations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons  Text with EEA relevance
Date: 2014-06-20
Institutions: United Kingdom
Subjects: United Kingdom, extraction of oil, gas, hydrocarbon, petroleum exploration, public contract








C_2014188EN.01001401.xml










20.6.2014   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 188/14





United Kingdom Government notice concerning European Parliament and Council Directive 94/22/EC on the conditions for granting and using authorisations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2014/C 188/04)

Announcement of United Kingdom 14th Onshore (Landward) Oil and Gas Licensing Round


Department of Energy and Climate Change


The Petroleum Act 1998


Onshore (Landward) Licensing Round









1.


The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change invites interested persons to apply for Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences in respect of certain acreage within the mainland of Great Britain. This is the 14th Round of Landward Licensing.












2.


Full details of the offer, including maps of the acreage on offer and guidance about licences, the terms which those licences will include, and how to apply, are available on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/oil-and-gas-licensing-rounds












3.


All applications will be determined in accordance with the terms of the Hydrocarbons Licensing Directive Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995 No 1434) and against a background of the continuing need for expeditious, thorough, efficient and safe exploration to identify oil and gas resources within the mainland of Great Britain with due regard to environmental considerations.












4.


Applications will be determined 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 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 capability will be assessed in part upon the quality of analysis related to the block or blocks 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 operations under that licence.
















5.


The applicants must submit an Environmental Awareness Statement of their understanding of the UK’s onshore environmental legislation and the broad environmental sensitivities of the acreage being applied for.












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.





Guidance









7.


Further guidance detailing the above which accompany this offer can be viewed on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/oil-and-gas-licensing-rounds





Licences









8.


Where the Secretary of State offers a licence pursuant to this invitation, the offer will be made within 12 to 18 months of the date of this Notice.












9.


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





Strategic Environmental Assessment









10.


The Secretary of State has conducted a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) pursuant to Directive 2001/42/EC on the Assessment of the Effects of Certain Plans and Programmes on the Environment of all of the areas to be offered in this Round. The assessment and other related documents can be found at the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/oil-and-gas-licensing-rounds
The gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/oil-and-gas-licensing-rounds