Norway awarded 53 new production licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf in the awards in predefined areas (APA) 2024 licensing round, which is an annual exploration round for the Norwegian continental shelf.
The production license gives the exclusive right to exploration, drilling, and extraction of petroleum within the geographical area of the license.
The Ministry of Energy said it had offered 53 production licenses – 33 are located in the North Sea, 19 in the Norwegian Sea, and one in the Barents Sea.
In total, 20 oil companies are offered parts in one or more of these licenses. 13 companies are offered one or more operatorships. A binding work program is linked to all the licenses.
“We need new discoveries to ensure that Norway can remain a stable and predictable supplier of oil and gas to Europe. It is therefore very positive to see such great interest in new exploration areas,” said Minister of Energy, Terje Aasland.
The Ministry of Energy announces certain geographical areas where companies can apply for production licenses.
Before licenses can be awarded for petroleum activities in an area on the Norwegian continental shelf, the area must be opened for petroleum operations. Production licenses can only be awarded in areas that are open and available for petroleum activities.
The annual APA licensing rounds were introduced in 2003. The aim was to facilitate the discovery and extraction of profitable resources in mature areas, before existing infrastructure is shut down.
The APA rounds occur annually and within a predefined area.
