The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) said a number of new entrants were among the 24 companies who applied for licences in the 29th round, which closed last week.
The (OGA) said it received a total of 29 applications covering 113 blocks during the round, which was the first in two decades to focus on frontier areas.
A number of firm well commitments were made, the OGA said.
Licences were up for grabs in areas such as the Rockall Trough and mid-North Sea High, which were the focus of a £20million programme of seismic data gathering surveys last year.
OGA chief executive Andy Samuel said: “Despite the difficult climate, industry has responded strongly to our offer, using analysis and insights to identify new prospects and submit high quality applications on blocks that did not attract interest in recent licensing rounds. This confirms the high remaining potential in the UKCS’ frontier areas.
“Long standing investors continue to seek new acreage and we also welcome the arrival of new entrants. This is encouraging and supports the OGA and MER UK Exploration Board’s joint approach to revitalise exploration. The UK Government funded seismic programmes and the OGA’s ‘Innovate Licence’ were developed through an industry task group and offer a flexible, pragmatic and focused approach to licensing.
“Licences awarded will provide continued opportunities for our world-class service sector to develop technology and expertise, and ultimately, should provide new energy supplies to the UK.”
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