17Commercial licences

17 Commercial licences

(1) An eligible person that holds a feasibility licence may apply for a commercial licence. (2) The application must: (a) be made in the manner and form that is: (i) approved by the Registrar; and (ii) published on the Registrar’s website; and (b) include a description of the offshore infrastructure project to be carried out under the commercial licence; and (c) be accompanied by evidence that the Regulator has approved, under the licensing scheme, a management plan for the commercial licence; and (d) be accompanied by any other information or documents required by the approved form.

Note: For application fees, see section 146. An application is taken to have been made only if the fee for dealing with the application has been paid (see section 147).

(3) An application under this section is taken to include or be accompanied by a thing mentioned in paragraph (2)(b), (c) or (d) if the thing is given to the Registrar before the end of the 30‑day period that begins on the day after the application is made. Applications for licences that cover existing licence areas (4) If an application for a commercial licence covers an area that is, or is part of, the licence area of an existing licence, the Registrar may: (a) notify the holder of the existing licence that the application has been made; and (b) inform the holder of the existing licence of: (i) the name of the applicant; and (ii) the proposed licence area of the commercial licence (including a description of the location, shape and size of the area); and (iii) the kind of project that the applicant proposes to carry out in the proposed licence area; and (c) invite the holder of the existing licence to make a submission in relation to the potential grant of the commercial licence.

Note: The licence area of a commercial licence must not include any part of the licence area of any other commercial licence or a feasibility licence (see paragraph 42(4)(b) of the Act).