Sokkeldirektoratet

Continued significant interest in exploration in mature areas in APA 2019

9/4/2019 The authorities have received applications from 33 companies in the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2019.

The deadline for applications was 27 August.

Most of the companies that are active on the Norwegian shelf have submitted applications in this year’s APA round.

Interest in the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea is comparable to APA 2018, while there is a small decline in the North Sea.

- A great deal of acreage has been awarded over the last two years, particularly in the North Sea. That makes it particularly gratifying to see the continued strong interest in new exploration acreage, says exploration director in the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, Torgeir Stordal.

He adds:

- The APA area was further expanded prior to this year’s round. We are pleased to see many applications in the expanded area.

The NPD will now start the work of evaluating the applications with focus on geological understanding and plans for exploration of the areas. When production licences are awarded, emphasis is also placed on the companies’ technical expertise and experience, as well as financial strength.

The authorities will announce which companies will be offered ownership interests in APA 2019 early in 2020.

Press release from the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy on APA 2019

About APA 2019

 

Contact
postboks@sodir.no

Tel: +47 51 87 60 00

Updated: 2/6/2025

Latest news

Drilling permit for wellbore 31/4-A-15 B
6/30/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted OKEA ASA drilling permit for wellbore 31/4-A-15 B in production licence 055.
Oil discovery near the Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea (7220/7-CD-1H)
6/30/2025 Equinor and its partners have made an oil discovery in the "Drivis Tubåen" prospect.
Check out our key figures in new visualisations!
6/27/2025 Now you have a quick and easy way to extract key figures associated with petroleum activities on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) in an interactive dashboard.
Drilling permit for wellbore 6506/12-PB-3 H
6/26/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 6506/12-PB-3 H in production licence 094.
Dry well in the North Sea (25/11-30 S)
6/26/2025 Equinor and its partners have drilled a dry well on the «Lit» prospect in the North Sea.
Dry well in the Norwegian Sea (6405/7-4)
6/25/2025 Aker BP and its partners have drilled a dry well on the “Rondeslottet” prospect in the Norwegian Sea.
Drilling permit for wellbore 15/8-3 S
6/23/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 15/8-3 S in production licence 1137.
Production figures May 2025
6/20/2025 Preliminary production figures for May 2025 show an average daily production of 1 980 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
Appraisal well confirms oil discovery in the Norwegian Sea (6507/5-12 S)
6/19/2025 ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS, operator of production licence 891, has concluded drilling of the second appraisal well, 6507/5-12 S, on the 6507/5-10 S (Slagugle) oil discovery .
Expedition to map the environment
6/18/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has participated in research expeditions for many years in an effort to acquire more knowledge about the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) and the resources in the subsurface. Now we’ve also gathered environmental data.