Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021

The licensing scheme may provide for the following:

the holder of a commercial licence to apply to the Minister to extend the end day of the licence;

procedures for the Minister to decide whether or not to grant such an extension;

such an extension to be granted in respect of the whole licence area, or a part of the licence area (as long as this does not result in the part of the licence area that has not reached the end day being non‑continuous);

more than one such extension to be granted in respect of a particular licence.

If the declaration that applies to the licence area has been varied, the variation may affect an extension of the end day of the licence (see section 23).

For review of decisions, see section 297.

An application under provisions of the licensing scheme made for the purposes of paragraph (1)(a) may only be made at least 5 years before the end day of the licence.

An extension must not result in the end day of a commercial licence being later than the day after the end of 40 years after the extension is made.

An extension must not apply to any part of a licence area that is not a declared area at the time the extension is granted.

If an extension results in there being different end days for different parts of a licence area, subsection 46(4) applies separately in respect of each such part.