Communication from the French Government 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 (1)

(Notice regarding an application for an exclusive licence to prospect for liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, designated the ‘Moret-sur-Loing licence’, and an application for a concession to extract liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, designated the ‘Nonville concession’)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/C 191/11)

By request received on 29 November 2006, the Geopetrol SA company, with a registered office at 9, rue Nicolas Copernic Z.I du Coudray, F-93150 Le Blanc-Mesnil Cedex, applied for an extension to an exclusive licence to prospect for liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, designated the ‘Moret-sur-Loing licence’, for an area of approximately 77 square kilometres covering a part of the Department of Seine-et-Marne.

The perimeter of the area covered by the licence is made up of the meridian and parallel arcs joining the vertices defined below by their geographical coordinates, the original meridian being that of Paris.

By request received on 3 January 2007, the Bridgeoil company, with a registered office at 1, boulevard Vivier Merle, Immeuble Tour Suisse, F-69003 Lyon, applied for a concession to extract liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, designated the ‘Nonville concession’, for an area of approximately 10,7 square kilometres covering part of the Department of Seine-et-Marne.

The perimeter of this concession is made up of the meridian and parallel arcs joining the vertices defined below by their geographical coordinates, the original meridian being that of Paris.

This perimeter is included in that covered by the application for an extension to the exclusive licence to prospect for liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, designated the ‘Moret-sur-Loing licence’.

Submission of applications and time limit for decisions on application

The initial applicants and competing applicants must prove that they comply with the requirements for obtaining licences set out in Articles 4, 5 and 6 of Decree No 2006-648 of 2 June 2006 on mining rights and underground storage rights (Journal officiel de la République française of 3 June 2006).

Interested companies may, within a period of ninety days of the publication of this notice in the Official Journal of the European Union, submit a competing application in accordance with the procedure summarised in the ‘Notice regarding the granting of mining rights for hydrocarbons in France’ published in the Official Journal of the European Communities C 374 of 30 December 1994, p. 11, and established by Decree No 2006-648 on mining rights and underground storage rights. Competing applications must be sent to the Minister responsible for mines at the address below.

A decision on the application for an extension of the Moret-sur-Loing licence and competing applications will be taken by the French authorities within two years of receipt of the application, i.e. by 29 November 2008.

A decision on the application for the Nonville concession and competing applications will be taken by the French authorities within three years of receipt of the initial application, i.e. by 3 January 2010.

Conditions and requirements regarding performance of the activity and cessation thereof

Applicants are referred to Articles 79 and 79.1 of the Mining Code and to Decree No 2006-649 of 2 June 2006 on mining operations, underground storage operations and the regulations on mining and underground storage (Journal officiel de la République française of 3 June 2006).

Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Town and Country Planning (Directorate-General for Energy and Raw Materials, Directorate for Energy and Mineral Resources, Bureau of Mining Legislation), 61, boulevard Vincent Auriol, Télédoc 133, F-75703 Paris Cedex 13 [telephone (33) 144 97 23 02, fax (33) 144 97 05 70].

The abovementioned laws and regulations can be consulted at:

http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr

(1)  OJ L 164, 30.6.1994, p. 3.