The work process
Below follows a brief description of the administrative procedure for pre-qualifying new players. The procedure will be slightly different in connection with re-qualifying a company.
- The player contacts the Ministry of Energy and confirms its desire to be a licensee or operator. The point of contact in the Ministry of Energy is the Section for Exploration.
- The Ministry of Energy initiates the evaluation process. The Norwegian Offshore Directorate and the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority will then be formally notified by the Ministry of Energy, respectively, to start the process vis-à-vis the relevant player. The point of contact in the Norwegian Offshore Directorate and the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority is the Player Qualification Team.
- The player and the Norwegian Offshore Directorate/the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority agree on a date for a kick-off meeting in the Norwegian Offshore Directorate/the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority's offices.
The player shall give a brief presentation of its activities, expertise and plans for the Norwegian shelf in the kick-off meeting between the player and the Norwegian Offshore Directorate/the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority. The Norwegian Offshore Directorate/the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority will provide detailed information on the evaluation process, and the parties will together agree on the continued process (schedule, meeting times and locations). - Evaluation meeting(s) in the player's offices with presentations by the player and verifications of the player's systems and capacities. The normal duration of such meetings is 1-2 days.
- If the player is seeking qualification as an operator, a verification on one of the company's facilities will be required.
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The Norwegian Offshore Directorate and the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority will each carry out an evaluation of the player and report separately to the Ministry of Energy.
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate and the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority will use the following evaluation form when evaluating new players:
Evaluation form (MS Word 0,06 MB) -
The Ministry of Energy will give a joint response to the player based on the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority's recommendations/conclusions as regards HSE and the Norwegian Offshore Directorate's recommendations as regards resource management. The Ministry of Energy will conduct an assessment of the player's financial position itself.
In certain cases, consideration may be given to pre-qualifying players based on a mandatory plan for improvement. In such cases, the companies must document within a specified deadline that the requirements stipulated for improvements will be met before final pre-qualification can take place.
This scheme will only apply in those cases where the player largely meets the expertise, capacity and financial requirements, but has certain areas where it is assumed that the player will be able to meet the authorities requirements shortly. Shortly normally means approximately six months.
Consents, permits, etc., pursuant to applicable regulations are required in order to commence activity on the Norwegian shelf. Pre-qualification as a licensee/operator does not automatically entail such consents/permits.
Updated: 04/03/2024