These reports come from more than 600 production licences.

The NPD has spent the last year reviewing several hundred historical status reports to prepare them for publication. The published reports can also be obtained directly from the NPD's FactMaps.

This functionality will enable a rapid overview of available reports. If only reports from a specific area are needed, this can easily be done directly from the map.

For example, to find reports from the Møre Basin or block 31, turn on the "Licence, document" map layer, zoom in and select. This will give you an overview of the status reports released in the area.

A status report provides a summary of information, such as the history of a production licence. It also includes information about data collected, studies conducted and the results of these studies. The report also provides an overview of mapped prospectivity in the production licence.

The fourth subsection of Section 85 of the Petroleum Regulations was amended, with retroactive effect, as of 1 January 2021. The amendment means that the confidentiality obligation for interpreted data in status reports lapses when the licence is relinquished, lapses, expires or the area the data came from is returned. This means that the status reports can be released.

"The Norwegian shelf is becoming increasingly mature, and many of the same areas have previously been explored in various production licences. In order to better understand the petroleum geology on the shelf, and to avoid duplicating efforts, it's important to transfer knowledge and data so new players can also gain insight in the previous licensees' assessments," says Arne Jacobsen, Assistant Director of Technology, Analyses and Coexistence.

About 18 months after the effort to release the status reports started, we can see that they are frequently used by the companies, and the feedback is good. Among other things, they use the reports when they write APA applications (APA, awards in pre-defined areas). The reports provide an overview of the work that has been done and previous interpretations of the geology in the area.

"Smaller companies with less extensive databases will derive particular benefit from looking at analyses from areas where they might lack data. This can be used to gain an overview of acreage they're considering applying for," Jacobsen says.

The operator must submit a status report within three months of a production licence expiring, lapsing or being relinquished. It will be made available on the NPD's FactPages and FactMaps as soon as it is quality-assured. In practice, this means that the NPD ensures that the report conforms with the guidelines and that it does not contain trade secrets.

Here you can find released status reports in the FactMaps 

Here you can find released status reports in the FactPages