– Awarding new licenses through the Awards in Predefined Areas is a pillar in the continued development of the Norwegian shelf. To see such great interest in further exploration activity is very encouraging. This is important for both employment and value creation, as well as for facilitating Norway’s role as a stable energy supplier to Europe, says Minister of Energy, Terje Aasland.
Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) is an annual exploration round for the most mature areas of the Norwegian continental shelf. Of the 62 production licenses offered in APA 2023, 29 are located in the North Sea, 25 in the Norwegian Sea, and eight in the Barents Sea.
In total, 24 oil companies are offered parts in one or more of these licenses. 16 companies are offered one or more operatorships. A binding work program is linked to all the licenses.