Norway's Statoil has been awarded shares in eight exploration licences on the Norwegian continental shelf. The company is operator on six of the licences.

- I am offering production licenses to 42 companies of which 19 companies are offered operatorships. APA 2009 is the seventh licensing round with focus on mature areas on the whole shelf, says Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Riis-Johansen.

- The industry’s continuing interest for these areas indicates that the annual licensing rounds in mature areas work in accordance with the purpose of an efficient exploration of the mature areas. Offers are given to large, medium-sized and small companies. This illustrate the diversity of companies on the Norwegian continental shelf, the Minister says. 

Statoil says it is very pleased with this year’s awards:

“The licences we have now been awarded will help maximise the utilisation of our existing near-field infrastructure. The licenses can provide additional volumes on fields already in production and thereby extend the lifetime of installations,” says Statoil’s Tove Stuhr Sjøblom, senior vice president of exploration on the Norwegian continental shelf.

A total of 44 companies applied for production licenses in APA 2009.

(NRK/Press release)

Rolleiv Solholm