APA 2026
Here you’ll find everything you need to know about the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2026.
Awards in predefined areas 2026
The Ministry of Energy announced APA 2026 on 5 May 2026, encompassing the predefined areas with blocks in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea.
Application deadline
The deadline to apply for APA 2026 is 12:00 noon on Tuesday, 1 September 2026. Applicants are encouraged to submit in good time before the deadline. Awards are expected during the first quarter of 2027.
Available acreage
Since APA 2025, the predefined areas (APA acreage) have been expanded by 22 blocks and parts of blocks in the North Sea, 10 blocks in the Norwegian Sea and 38 in the Barents Sea. Applications can be submitted for all available blocks or parts of blocks within the predefined areas.
Blocks or parts of blocks that become available less than 3 months prior to the application deadline, cannot be applied for. That means that all acreage approved for relinquishment in the period up to three months prior to the application deadline is considered to be announced as of the application deadline.
Relinquished area is included on a continuous basis in the predefined area on the Norwegian Offshore Directorate's interactive Factmap, and maps covering the final area that can be applied for will be provided as soon as practically possible. See links below.
Map of area available for application in predefined areas as at the announcement date
The maps show licenced acreage within the APA boundaries as of May 5th 2026. These areas can change during the application period. The Norwegian Offshore Directorate's interactive FactMaps contain daily updated information showing the current area available for application.
Links
- Map of predefined areas at announcement date (PDF)
- Norwegian Offshore Directorate's interactive Factmap (updated from 5 May 2026)
- Open data included block coordinates for announced areas (updated from 5 May 2026)
- Award statistics (ZIP)
The maps show licenced acreage within the APA boundaries as of May 5th 2026. These areas can change during the application period. Our interactive FactMaps contain daily updated information showing the current area available for application.
How to apply in APA 2026
Each company that applies for production licences in APA 2026 must submit the following to the Norwegian Offshore Directorate and the Ministry of Energy:
- Application letter, company information and receipt for paid application fee
- Application(s)
The submission to the Norwegian Offshore Directorate and the Ministry of Energy is via L2S Authority Communication.
1. Application letter, company information and receipt for paid application fee
The formal application letter with an overview of all applications the company is participating in, both individually and as a participant in group application(s), shall be submitted together with the company information. See Guide to application letter and company information APA 2026 for more information (PDF).
An application fee of NOK 123,000 must be paid for each application to APA 2026, including applications for additional acreage. When several companies join in a group application to apply for a production licence, this counts as one application. One of the members of the group pays the fee. Payment shall be made to the Norwegian Offshore Directorate, account no.: 7694.05.00326, marked "APA2026_(applicationID)". A copy of the receipt must be enclosed with the application letter from the company.
2. Application(s)
Each application for a production licence in APA 2025 must be submitted in electronic format. See Guide to Application for Production Licence APA 2026 (PDF).
Guidelines
- Guide to application letter and company information APA 2026 (PDF)
- Guide to Application for Production Licence APA 2026 (PDF)
Forms that must be completed
Shape files that must be included
Other application information
- Environmental, HSE and fishery terms and conditions (pdf)
- Sandeel map (PNG)
- Areas beyond 200 nautical miles (pdf)
Available data
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Updated: 5/5/2026