Record licence awards in APA 2018
1/15/2019 Today, 15 January, 33 companies have been offered ownership interests in a total of 83 production licences on the Norwegian Shelf in the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2018. This is the largest number ever awarded in one licensing round.
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Updated: 1/15/2019
Latest news
Renewed interest in exploring under the basalt
10/15/2026
Undiscovered oil and gas resources may be present under the volcanic rock basalt in the western part of the Norwegian Sea. However, no exploration wells have been drilled in these areas.
Oil and gas discovery in the North Sea (30/8-7 S)
10/14/2026
Equinor and its partners have discovered oil and gas in the “Grimsnes” prospect in the Oseberg area, about 140 km west of Bergen.
Production licences: We are transitioning to Altinn
10/13/2026
Starting on 21 October, applications and notifications on decisions associated with production licences must be submitted via Altinn. This will simplify the process for the companies.
Appraisal well in the North Sea increases projection (16/1-EA-4 H)
9/25/2026
Aker BP and its partners Equinor and DNO have drilled an appraisal well on the "Verdandi" and "Lillefix" discoveries in the North Sea. This well increases the projected discovery size.
Production figures August 2026
9/22/2026
Preliminary production figures for August 2026 show an average daily production of 2 073 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
Aker BP has made a gas discovery in the North Sea (36/4-2 and 36/4-2 A)
9/16/2026
Preliminary calculations show that the size is between 0.15 and 2.4 million standard cubic metres of recoverable oil equivalent (Sm3 of o.e.), which corresponds to 1-15 million barrels.
Drilling permit for wellbore 25/9-5 S
9/15/2026
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 25/9-5 S in production licence 1042.
Growing exploration interest
9/11/2026
The authorities have received applications from 21 companies in the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2025. The deadline for applications was 1 September.
New NCS map 2026
9/8/2026
You can now download or order a printed version of the Directorate's most recent map of the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).