Announcement of awards in predefined areas (APA) 2026
5/5/2026 The Ministry of Energy announced APA 2026 on 5 May 2026, encompassing the predefined areas with blocks in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea.
The deadline to apply for APA 2026 is 12:00 noon on Tuesday, 1 September 2026.
Applicants are encouraged to submit in good time before the deadline.
Awards are expected during the first quarter of 2027.
Contact
Updated: 5/5/2026
Latest news
Drilling permit for wellbore 34/10-56 S
5/8/2026
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 34/10-56 S in production licence 050 HS.
Announcement of awards in predefined areas (APA) 2026
5/5/2026
The Ministry of Energy announced APA 2026 on 5 May 2026, encompassing the predefined areas with blocks in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea.
The prospect form is updated
4/29/2026
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has updated the prospect form for reporting prospects, leads and in some cases, discoveries.
Drilling permit for wellbore 7220/5-EC-2 H
4/27/2026
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 7220/5-EC-2 H in production licence 532.
Dry well in the North Sea (34/8-A-37 H)
4/22/2026
Equinor and its partners have drilled a dry well in the “Skoll” and “Hati” prospects, east of the Visund field in the North Sea.
Production figures March 2026
4/21/2026
Preliminary production figures for March 2026 show an average daily production of 2 152 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
Advanced methods can curb production decline
4/15/2026
There is no time to waste if we want to extract more oil and gas from the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) using advanced methods (EOGR). The benefits for our broader society could be enormous.
Technology Day programme
4/9/2026
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate’s Technology Day will be held on 4 June. There are still some slots available!
Who will see Gro as a diamond in the rough?
4/8/2026
6603/12-1 (Gro) is one of the largest undeveloped gas discoveries on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). There is a considerable value creation potential here, but time is running out.
Production figures February 2026
3/20/2026
Preliminary production figures for February 2026 show an average daily production of 2 176 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.