The Petroleum Licensing (Applications) Regulations 2015

Interpretation

2.  In these Regulations—

“application notice” means a notice published in the Official Journal of the European Union which—

(a)

indicates that the Secretary of State is prepared to accept applications for petroleum exploration and development licences or seaward area production licences in respect of blocks, and

(b)

specifies the web site on which details of the blocks are published;

“block” means an area to which a reference number has been assigned and published on a web site by the Department of Energy and Climate Change;

“landward area” means an area which lies on the landward side of the lines drawn in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 1, no part of which is part of Northern Ireland;

“landward petroleum exploration licence” means a licence to search for petroleum in a landward area;

“low water line” has the meaning given by paragraph 8 of Schedule 1;

“methane drainage licence” means a licence to get natural gas in the course of operations for making and keeping safe mines whether or not disused;

“model clauses” in relation to a licence means the model clauses prescribed under section 4(1)(e) of the Petroleum Act 1998 to be incorporated in licences of that type;

“petroleum exploration and development licence” means a licence to search and bore for, and get, petroleum in a landward area;

“promote licence” means a seaward area production licence in which, in accordance with the model clauses or clauses having a similar effect—

(a)

a “Promote Period” (within the meaning given by the model clauses) is specified, and

(b)

a clause is included concerning the effect of the expiry of the Promote Period in relation to the continuation of the licence beyond that period;

“seaward area” means—

(a)

islands on the seaward side of the lines drawn in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 1,

(b)

an area in the sea bed and subsoil beneath waters which lie on the seaward side of the said lines but within the outward limit of the territorial sea of the United Kingdom, and

(c)

an area in the sea bed and subsoil within any area designated under section 1(7) of the Continental Shelf Act 1964(1);

“seaward petroleum exploration licence” means a licence to search for petroleum in any seaward area or landward area below the low water line;

“seaward area production licence” means a licence to search and bore for, and get, petroleum in a seaward area;

“work programme” means a scheme of prospecting including any geological survey by any physical or chemical means and any test drilling.

(1)

1964 c. 29, amended by section 37 of, and paragraph 1 of Schedule 3 to, the Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982 (c. 23) and section 103 of the Energy Act 2011 (c. 16).