Partnerships Hydrocarbons
Under Article 82(1) of the Dutch Mining Act, EBN is the company designated by the Dutch State to participate, on behalf of the State, in the exploration and production of hydrocarbons (natural gas and oil) in the Netherlands, both onshore and offshore.
EBN participates in these activities in the interest of “efficient exploration and production, the systematic management, and the optimal marketing of oil and natural gas”. Through this page, we provide transparency about our partnerships and collaborations in the field of hydrocarbon exploration and production.
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Standard Cooperation Agreement
For its hydrocarbon activities, EBN enters into a cooperation agreement with the licence holder. The licence holder is the holder of a licence for the exploration or production of oil and/or natural gas. These licences are granted by the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, after which EBN enters into an agreement with the parties that have applied for a licence. This is a standard agreement approved by the Minister.
The overview below, listing all licences and the parties with whom EBN has entered into a cooperation agreement relating to hydrocarbons, is updated once a year. We provide the documents in Dutch only.
Collaboration Arrangements
Our agreements set out how the parties work together. They include arrangements regarding the allocation of produced oil and natural gas volumes (40% to EBN and 60% to the licence holder), financing (40% by EBN and 60% by the licence holder), decision-making, liabilities, and the party responsible for carrying out the actual operations: the operator.
Duration of the Agreement
The agreement enters into force once the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy has granted approval. The agreement remains in effect until all obligations under the agreement have been fulfilled, all activities have been completed (including the decommissioning and removal of infrastructure), and the licence is no longer in force.
Groningen Cooperation Agreement
The cooperation agreement for Groningen field was concluded in 1963. As it predates the standard cooperation agreement, it was not drafted in accordance with the current standard format, which did not yet exist at that time.
Transparency and the Safeguarding of Public Interests
By publishing these agreements, EBN aims—subject to the confidentiality requirements applicable to commercially sensitive information—to provide insight into how public and private parties work together in the public interest in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. This is also one of the measures announced by the Dutch government in response to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee on Gas Extraction in Groningen.
In the overview above, EBN has included all new and existing cooperation agreements relating to the exploration and production of oil and/or natural gas. EBN intends to make cooperation agreements for other activities, including the heat transition and CO₂ transport and storage, publicly available as well. Before publication, these agreements must be reviewed for commercially sensitive information, and the consent of the counterparties is required. As soon as this becomes possible, the agreements will be added to our website.
