Twenty-four companies have been offered ownership interests in production licenses on the Norwegian Continental Shelf as part of Norway's Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2023 licensing round. Sixteen companies have been offered one or more operatorships, Norway's Ministry of Petroleum and Energy said in a release Jan. 16.
A total of 62 new production licenses were awarded in this year’s licensing round. Last year, 47 licenses were awarded. Of the 62 licenses offered, 29 lie in the North Sea, 25 in the Norwegian Sea, and eight in the Barents Sea.
Equinor was awarded 39 new production licenses by the Ministry of Energy in this year's awards. The company was awarded 18 licenses in the North Sea, 13 in the Norwegian Sea, and 8 in the Barents Sea. Equinor is the operator of 14 of the awarded licenses, and a partner in 25.
DNO Norge AS has been awarded participation in 14 exploration licenses, of which three are operatorships. Of the 14 new licenses, 10 are in the North Sea and four in the Norwegian Sea.
The Norwegian authorities are offering Aker BP ownership interest in 27 exploration licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf. For 17 of the licenses, Aker BP is expected to serve as operator.
The new awards under the APA 2023 licensing round include:
- PL 644 D: OMV (Norge) AS (operator), Equinor Energy AS, DNO Norge AS (30%)
- PL 1102 B: Aker BP ASA (operator), DNO Norge AS (30%), Equinor Energy AS
- PL 1148 CS: Wellesley Petroleum AS, DNO Norge AS (30%), Aker BP ASA, Equinor Energy AS
- PL 1198: Aker BP ASA (operator), DNO Norge AS (20%), Petoro AS, Source Energy AS
- PL 1203: Vår Energi ASA (operator), Equinor Energy AS, DNO Norge AS (20%), Petoro AS
- PL 1204: DNO Norge AS (operator, 60%), Equinor Energy AS
- PL 1205: ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS (operator), DNO Norge AS (40%)
- PL 1209: DNO Norge AS (operator, 40%), Concedo AS, Equinor Energy AS
- PL 1212 S: Equinor Energy AS (operator), DNO Norge AS (40%), Longboat Japex Norge AS
- PL 1213 S: Neptune Energy Norge AS (operator), DNO Norge AS (30%), Wintershall Dea Norge AS
- PL 1216: DNO Norge AS (operator, 40%), Source Energy AS, Wintershall Dea Norge AS
- PL 1226: Equinor Energy AS (operator), DNO Norge AS (40%)
- PL 1228: OMV (Norge) AS (operator), Equinor Energy AS, DNO Norge AS (30%)
- PL 1229: Sval Energi AS (operator), DNO Norge AS (30%), PGNiG Upstream Norway AS, Wintershall Dea Norge AS