A record number of oil firms have launched bids for mature areas on the Norwegian continental shelf.
BP was the only oil major not to apply as the deadline for the latest licencing round passed, as 50 companies expressed interest in predefined areas across the region.
“This year there is especially great interest in available acreage in the northern part of the North Sea and the central part of the Norwegian Sea,” said the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s Sissel Eriksen.
“We also notice an increased interest in the Barents Sea in relation to previous years. We see substantial competition for acreage that has been awarded several times before.”
READ MORE: Click here for a map of the areas involved
This licencing round saw 377 blocks across more than 103,000 square kilometres being made available, with six new blocks around Aasta Hansteen and a number of former areas previously given up by companies also up for grabs.
The aim of the annual awards in predefined areas licencing round is to open up bids for areas where significant discoveries may still be find.
Many of the blocks cannot support stand-alone development but new technology has opened up opportunities to develop mature or previously explored blocks, with a host of majors – including Centrica, Total, OMV, and Statoil having lodged bids, along with Marathon, Premier Oil and Tullow.
Government rebates and recent major discoveries, such as the giant Joahn Sverdrup field, has sparked renewed
“The fact that so many companies have expressed interest in new awards in mature areas is very positive,” said Norway’s energy minister Ola Borten Moe.
Licences will be awarded in January 2014.
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