Announcement of awards in predefined areas (APA) 2021
The photo shows karstified (dissolved) marble at Liland in Evenes municipality.
6/9/2021 The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy announced APA 2021 on 9 June 2021, encompassing the predefined areas with blocks in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea.
The deadline to apply for APA 2021 is Wednesday, 8 September 2021 at 12:00. Applicants are encouraged to submit in good time before the deadline.
Awards are expected during the first quarter of 2022.
Updated: 6/9/2021
Latest news
Dry well in the North Sea (25/8-24 S)
11/3/2026
Vår Energi and its partners have drilled a dry well on the "Jotun Deep" prospect.
Dry appraisal well in the North Sea (15/6-18 S)
11/2/2026
Aker BP and its partner Equinor have drilled appraisal well 15/6-18 S on the 15/6-10 "Freke" discovery, which was made in 2009.
The 34/12-1 "Afrodite" discovery in the North Sea has been confirmed (35/7-2)
10/29/2026
Equinor and its partners have drilled an appraisal well on the 34/12-1 "Afrodite" discovery, which was made in 2008.
Drilling permit for wellbore 33/9-F-4 DH
10/27/2026
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 33/9-F-4 DH in production licence 1214.
Large volumes of data from the Norwegian Offshore Directorate ready for AI
10/26/2026
About 92,000 well documents have been converted from PDF format to files that can be read by artificial intelligence (AI). This will provide better and faster analyses of the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).
Vast gas resources may lie here
10/21/2026
The Barents Sea is home to a number of discoveries that could hold vast volumes of gas. A new study could uncover major opportunities for one of these discoveries.
Production figures September 2026
10/20/2026
Preliminary production figures for September 2026 show an average daily production of 1 900 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
Gas and condensate discovery in the Norwegian Sea (6407/5-3 S)
10/19/2026
Vår Energi and Equinor have made a gas and condensate discovery in the "Lakris" prospect in the Gimsan Basin on the Halten Terrace in the Norwegian Sea.
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.