The offers are being issued after the authorities have evaluated applications from 50 companies in the Awards in Pre-defined Areas (APA) 2013. Of the 65 production licenses, 38 are located in the North Sea, 19 in the Norwegian Sea and 8 in the Barents Sea.
A record number of companies applied for available acreage this year.
“It is clear that the oil companies still consider it interesting to explore for oil and gas in mature areas,” says Sissel Eriksen, exploration director in the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate in a press release.
The 65 production licenses are distributed among the North Sea (38), the Norwegian Sea (19) and the Barents Sea (8). A total of 50 companies applied for production licenses in APA 2013. 48 companies will be offered shares in one or more production licenses. 29 of these companies will be offered operatorships.
“The Government will maintain a predictable and high pace in awarding new areas for petroleum activity. The record-breaking awards in APA 2013 represent our first step on this path, and demonstrate that we deliver on our promises,” continues Minister of Petroleum and Energy Tord Lien.
