A Guide to Hydrocarbon Licences in Denmark, Exploration and ...

6. Environmental impact assessments (EIAs),
consequence assessments etc.
6.1. Regulations
6.2. EIA
Sections 28 a, 28 b and 28 c in the Danish Subsoil Act contain provisions on
approval of offshore projects that are assumed to have a significant impact on the
environment and provisions regulating the protection of international nature
conservation areas and the protection of certain species.
More detailed provisions are laid down in Executive Order No. 684 of 23 June
2011 on EIA, consequence assessment concerning international nature
conservation areas and protection of certain species in connection with projects
about offshore exploration for and production of hydrocarbons, storage in the
subsoil, pipelines etc.
Similar regulations apply for onshore projects. The onshore regulations are not
administered by the Danish Energy Agency but by the local municipalities and by
the Danish Ministry of the Environment.
Exploration activities like pre-investigations (e.g. seismic surveys) and drilling will
normally not require the preparation of an EIA.
Sections 3-8 of Executive Order no. 684 of 23 June 2011 include more detailed
provisions on EIAs, i.e. offshore projects that necessitate the preparation of an
EIA, requirements concerning the contents, other information to be submitted,
procedures to follow, etc.
6.3. Protection of international nature conservation areas
Offshore projects that are assumed to have a significant impact on international
nature conservation areas can only be approved based on a consequence
assessment of the project on the site in view of the site’s conservation objectives
and provided that the consequence assessment shows that the project will not
damage the conservation area.
More detailed provisions are included in sections 9-11 of Executive Order no. 684
of 23 June 2011.
The Danish Energy Agency decides if a consequence assessment must be
submitted together with an application for approval of an offshore project. When
applying for approval of e.g. programs for drilling of exploration wells or programs
for seismic surveys, the applicant must submit the necessary information about the
project’s impact on international nature conservation areas for the DEA’s decision
about the necessity of a consequence assessment.
If any mitigation measures (e.g. soft start procedures in connection with the use of
noise generating equipment) of relevance are planned, they should be described
in the application.
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