Licensing rounds

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.

 

 

Latest news and updates

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:

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

Application process

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

Data

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.

Links to other relevant information

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

Contact information

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

Henrik Sulsbrück
Head of Division (+45) 3392 6686
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