Communication from the Government of Denmark concerning the invitation to apply for licences for the exploration for and production of hydrocarbons in an area of the North Sea

Sixth Danish Licensing Round

(2005/C 176/06)

(Text with EEA relevance)

With reference to Article 3(2)(a) of Directive 94/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 1994 on the conditions for granting and using authorizations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons, we hereby inform you that pursuant to paragraph (a) of Section 12(1) of Consolidated Act No 526 of 11 June 2002 on the Use of the Danish Subsoil, as amended by Act No 1230 of 27 December 2003 and Act No 442 of 9 June 2004, applications for licences may be submitted for an area in the North Sea on the Danish continental shelf west of longitude 6° 15' E (Central Graben and adjacent areas) until 12:00 on 1 November 2005. If the period between the publication of this communication in the Official Journal of the European Union and 1 November 2005 is less than 90 days, applications may be submitted until 12:00 on the 90th day after its publication in the Official Journal.

Areas

Applications may be submitted for licences to explore for and produce hydrocarbons in unlicensed parts of an area in and around the Central Graben in the North Sea, as shown on the map available from the Danish Energy Agency or on their website at www.ens.dk. Towards the north, west and south, the area is delimited by the continental shelf boundaries with Norway, Great Britain and Germany, and towards the east by longitude 6° 15' E.

Applications may also be submitted for licences to explore for and produce hydrocarbons in deeper-lying layers under the accumulations mentioned below, delineated in terms of depth as follows:

Generally, a licence will comprise an area corresponding to the size of 1-2 blocks, but may in exceptional cases comprise a larger contiguous area, e.g. where data coverage is scarce. If an application is submitted for an area that is larger than 1-2 blocks, the reason should be stated in the application.

Provisions and criteria within the meaning of Article 5(1) of Directive 94/22/EC are contained in Consolidated Act No 526 of 11 June 2002 on the Use of the Danish Subsoil and were published on 20 May 2005 in Official Gazette No 93 under various announcements and calls for tender.

Applications should be sent to the following address, from which further information based on Directive 94/22/EC is available:

Licences are expected to be granted 3 to 5 months after the expiry of the application period.