31st Seaward Licensing Round Appropriate Assessment

The Appropriate Assessment (AA) covering the Blocks applied for in the 31st Seaward Licensing Round has now been issued for a 6-week period of public consultation

Background

Following the announcement of the 31st Seaward Licensing Round by the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), an initial screening assessment (including consultation with the statutory agencies/bodies) of the 1,779 Blocks offered was undertaken. The screening identified 525 whole or part Blocks as requiring further assessment (AA) prior to the OGA making a decision on whether to grant licences, should they be applied for.

Following the closing date for 31st 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 41 of the Blocks applied for. Due to the wide distribution of these Blocks in the UK Continental Shelf, the AAs are contained in four regional reports.

• Mid North Sea High
• Moray Firth
• Irish Sea
• English Channel