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33rd Seaward Licensing Round Appropriate Assessment

Consultation on the Appropriate Assessments (AA) of Blocks applied for in the 33rd Seaward Licensing Round

Last fetched 03 May 2026 · gov.uk

Detail

Following the announcement of the 33rd Seaward Licensing Round by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), an initial screening assessment (including consultation with the statutory agencies/bodies) of the 931 Blocks offered was undertaken. The screening identified 267 whole or part Blocks as requiring further assessment (AA) prior to the NSTA making a decision on whether to grant licences, should they be applied for.

Following the closing date for 33rd Seaward Licensing Round applications, those Blocks identified as requiring further assessment (AA) were reconsidered against the list of actual applications. It was concluded that further assessment (AA) was required for 96 of the Blocks applied for. Due to the wide distribution of these Blocks in the UK Continental Shelf, the AAs are contained in three regional reports:

Southern North Sea and Mid North Sea High
Central North Sea and West of Shetland
Eastern Irish Sea

Documents

33rd Seaward Round Appropriate Assessment - West of Shetland and Central North Seaapplication/pdf 33rd Seaward Round Appropriate Assessment - Eastern Irish Seaapplication/pdf 33rd Seaward Licensing Round Appropriate Assessment - Southern North Sea and Mid North Sea Highapplication/pdf Habitats Regulations Assessment Stage 1 – 33rd Seaward Round Block and Site Screeningapplication/pdf 33rd Seaward Round Appropriate Assessment - West of Shetland and Central North Seaapplication/pdf 33rd Seaward Round Appropriate Assessment - Eastern Irish Seaapplication/pdf 33rd Seaward Licensing Round Appropriate Assessment - Southern North Sea and Mid North Sea Highapplication/pdf