29 companies bid for oil and gas licences in Norwegian continental shelf
Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has received 29 applications for new oil and gas licences in mature areas of the Norwegian continental shelf, according to a statement released by the Ministry on Friday.
“The extensive interest in mature areas of the Norwegian continental shelf continues. This year almost twice as many companies have applied compared to two years ago,” said Thorhild Widvey, Norwegian minister of petroleum and energy.
Among the bidders for the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) are Norsk Hydro and Statoil.
Friday was the deadline for applications for awards, with acreage awarded in December 2005. The APA system was first used in 2003, replacing the annual North Sea Awards, and covers predefined acreage in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea. Norway has offered licences in 192 blocks in the annual APA licensing round for mature areas of the Norwegian continental shelf when it announced the awards in January. The next announcement of the APA is scheduled for January 2006.
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