Disclaimer
On the 3rd December 2020 a broad majority in the Danish Parliament has reached a deal on the future of fossil extraction in the North Sea, leading to the cancellation of the ongoing 8th licensing round and all future rounds to extract oil and gas.
For more information read: Denmark introduces cutoff date of 2050 for oil and gas extraction in the North Sea, cancels all future licensing rounds
This page will be updated accordingly.
Find the latest news about the 8th Round and updates and supplements to the available information under “Latest news and updates” below.
On 21st of June 2018 the Energy, Utilities and Climate Committee of the Danish Parliament processed the statement from the Minister for Energy, Utilities and Climate, regarding the upcoming 8th Licensing Round for areas for oil and gas exploration and production, including approval of the terms applicable to the licences to be awarded.
The areas offered for licensing are located in the Central Graben, where the majority of the producing Danish fields are located, and in the adjoining areas further east bounded by the 6° 15’ E longitude. All unlicensed areas within the Danish sector west of the 6° 15’ E longitude are included in the licence round.
The application period ends on 1. February 2019 at 12.00 CET.
The Danish Energy Agency assessments indicate that large volumes of oil and gas still remain to be discovered in the Danish areas. The new licensing round will contribute to exploration activity in the years to come and preserve and further develop the knowledge and expertise the oil companies have accumulated concerning the Danish subsoil. To make the best of this potential, the Danish Government herby opens the 8th Danish licensing round for interested companies, who are invited to submit applications to the Danish Energy Agency for new oil and gas licences in the Danish North Sea. The 8th licensing round is part of the strategy for regular licensing rounds to secure an active and continuous exploration activity in the Danish North Sea.
A political agreement on the development of the oil and gas sector in the North Sea has been agreed since the last round was completed nearly two years ago. The agreement included a tax relief window during 2017-2025 and improved conditions for third party access to existing infrastructure. Also in 2017 the DUC partners decided to rebuild the Tyra facilities, which is important for the gas export in the Danish North Sea, this further secures the foundation for continued exploration and development of the oil and gas resources in the Danish North Sea.
On behalf of the Danish state, the Danish North Sea Fund will hold a 20 per cent interest in the new licences, and the oil companies will hold an 80 per cent interest.
Details and documents related to conditions for the 8th licensing round are available below.
January 7th 2019
Submit the application for the 8th Danish Oil & Gas licensing online
It is now possible to submit applications for the 8th Danish Oil & Gas licensing round online.
According to section 11 of the Letter of Invitation applications are to be submitted in four (4) hardcopies and on a memory stick (USB) in a .pdf version to the Danish Energy Agency (DEA), Amaliegade 44, DK-1256 Copenhagen K. Reference is made to the official Danish version of the Letter of Invitation available at ens.dk/en/our-responsibilities/oil-gas/licensing-rounds under Documents for the 8th licensing round (see also the unofficial English version).
Applications submitted and uploaded as described below will also be accepted.
Online Application Process:
- Use your business NemID certificate to register on https://tilskud.ens.dk/Dashboard/Login
- Login, upload and submit the application before 1 February 2019 at 12:00 noon.
Remember to attach receipt for the payment of the Application fee of net 25.000 DKK.
Contact Energistyrelsen, Danish Energy Agency, Henrik Sulsbrück (+45 3392 6686) hesu@ens.dk if you have any questions.
December 6th 2018
Please observe that according to 8th Round Invitation Letter ”… applications may also be submitted for any areas that may change status from licensed to unlicensed areas up to 90 days prior to the application deadline. …”. Consequently, after 3 November 2018 no additional acreage has been or will be included.
December 6th 2018
If you attend the Prospex 2018 12th-13th December in London please come and meet the Danish Energy Agency and GEUS at stand no. 29. In the morning of Thursday the 13th the Danish Energy Agency will present “The 8th Danish Licensing Round and exploration opportunities in the Danish North Sea” in the conference section.
October 30th 2018
Under “Maps” the three maps showing available acreage, licences and oil and gas fields have been updated following the relinquishment of licence 3/16 on 24 October 2018 (see https://ens.dk/en/our-responsibilities/oil-gas/earlier-amendments).
Consequently the zip file including shape files with available and partially available areas has also been updated.
October 17th 2018
Under ”Maps” the three maps showing available acreage, licences and oil and gas fields have been updated following the relinquishment of licence 10/16 earlier this month (see https://ens.dk/en/our-responsibilities/oil-gas/earlier-amendments). Consequently the zip file including shape files with available and partially available areas has been updated. In this context the shape file with partially available areas has also been corrected as it did not include all partially available areas shown on the maps.
Seminar on the 8th Danish Licensing Round August 23 2018
On the 23rd of August 2018 the Danish Energy Agency hosted a seminar introducing the 8th Danish Licensing Round.
The presentations are avilable below:
Introduction to the 8th licensing round
Legal framework and financial terms
State participation in Denmark, Nordsøfonden
Expectation to the geological content of license applications, GEUS
Trade organisation for the upstream oil and gas industry, Oil Gas Denmark
Letter of Invitation (in Danish)
Letter of Invitation (unofficial translation)
Announcement in the Official Journal of the European Union (Danish text)
Announcement in the Official Journal of the European Union (English text)
Report from the Energy, Utilities and Climate Committee of the Danish Parliament (in Danish)
Environmental assessment (unofficial translation)
Environmental assessment - Summary report (unofficial translation)
Nature impact assessment (unofficial translation)
8th Round Model Licence (in Danish)
GIS data, relinquished wells and seismic data and where to purchase data
Data collected under licences granted in pursuance of the Danish Subsoil Act are protected by a five-year confidentiality clause. However, for licences granted since the First Licensing Round in 1984, the confidentiality period is limited to two years for data pertaining to areas for which the licence has terminated.
Information about released well data, including seismic surveying data etc. collected in connection with exploration and production activities, is provided by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, GEUS, in cooperation with the Danish Energy Agency.
The database hosts information on boreholes and geophysical surveys collected from many years of exploration for and production of oil and gas.
Frisbee is GEUS' website for search and purchase of data concerning oil and gas exploration in Denmark.
The Hydrocarbon Tax Act
The Ministry for Taxation administrates the Act on Taxation of Income in Connection with Hydrocarbon Recovery in Denmark (The Hydrocarbon Tax Act).
Gas pipelines from the North Sea
Danish Offshore Gas Systems A/S manages marketing, sales and handling of transportation services and associated services in relation to customers (shippers) who apply for access to Ørsted's North Sea gas pipelines in order to have their gas transported from the North Sea production facilities to Danish shores.
Information regarding terms and conditions for the use of the pipeline can be found at Ørsted's website
The pipeline system on the Danish continental shelf is further connected to the NOGAT B.V. (Northern Offshore Gas Transport) pipeline system via the Tyra West - F3 pipeline. This 100-kilometer long natural gas subsea pipeline connects the Danish continental shelf with the Dutch continental shelf, thus facilitating the export of Danish gas to North-West Europe.
Information regarding terms and conditions for the use of the pipeline can be at NOGAT's website
Oil pipeline from the North Sea to Fredericia
The crude pipeline system owned by Danish Oil Pipe A/S includes the off-shore tie-in platform Gorm “E”, 330 km pipeline in the North Sea and across the peninsula of Jutland to crude storage and export facilities adjacent to the Shell Refinery in Fredericia.
Information regarding terms and conditions for the use of the pipeline can be at Ørsted's website
The Danish Energy Agency (DEA)
Amaliegade 44
DK-1256 Copenhagen
Phone: +45 33 92 67 00
Website: www.ens.dk and www.ens.dk/8thRound
The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS)
Øster Voldgade 10
DK-1350 Copenhagen
Phone: +45 38 14 20 00
Website: www.geus.dk
Nordsøfonden (NSF)
Amaliegade 45 1. floor
DK-1256 Copenhagen
Phone: +45 72 26 57 50
Website: www.nordsoefonden.dk
Find the documents from the 7th Licensing Round below. The application period ended October 20 2014.
- Letter of Invitation
- Statement on the 7th Round conditions from the Minister for Climate, Energy and Building to the Climate, Energy and Building Policy Committee of the Danish Parliament of 22 January 2014
- Map showing the areas offered
- Coordinates for licences shown on the above map
- 7th Round Model Licence (DK)
- 7th Round Model Licence (UK)
- Model Joint Operating Agreement
- Model Joint Operating Agreement Accounting Procedure
- Proposed draft for a parent company guarantee in Danish
- Proposed draft for a parent company guarantee in English
- Environmental assessment (Unofficial translation)
- Environmental assessment - Summary report (Unofficial translation)
- Nature impact assessment (Unofficial translation)
