The current Norwegian Government, under leadership of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of the Norwegian Labour Party, is about to set a national record in the number of issued licences on the Norwegian continental shelf. In the 20th licensing round, 104 new blocks might be issued. If all the blocks are opened for exploration, the present Government will have issued 245 licences since it came to power in 2005. In comparison, the last administration, headed by Kjell Magne Bondevik, only issued a total of 116 licences.
Ingeborg Gjærum from the environmental organization Nature and Youth believed the high number of licenses is a dark chapter in this government period. State Secretary Liv Monica Stubholt from the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy says however that it would be wrong to use the number of blocks which is nominated as a basis for discussion. It is far from certain that all will be awarded or developed, she argues.
