Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timeframe is for a decision to made by the Oil and Gas Authority in relation to Petroleum Oil and Gas Licence (PEDL) 193 to move this PEDL into the Production Term on 1st July 2019.

The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) are responsible for granting and monitoring all onshore Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences (PEDLs). For PEDL193, the OGA last year agreed to a Retention Area Work Plan under which the licensee(s) are obliged to acquire new seismic data by 30 June 2020, submit a planning application to drill a well by 30 June 2022, and drill, hydraulically fracture and flow test a well by 30 June 2024. Details of this licence variation can be found on the OGA website via the following link: https://www.ogauthority.co.uk/media/5260/retention-areas-agreed-december-2018-updated.pdf.