Norway has awarded 57 new oil and gas production licences to 19 companies in its latest Awards in Pre-defined Areas (APA) round, reinforcing continued exploration in mature parts of the Norwegian continental shelf. The package targets acreage close to existing platforms and pipelines, with the Norwegian Offshore Directorate stressing that “resources proven near established installations will be crucial to ensure high value creation and effective utilization of infrastructure moving forward”.
In total, 31 licences are located in the North Sea, 21 in the Norwegian Sea and five in the Barents Sea, underlining Norway’s intention to keep all three basins active. Twenty of the awards are additional acreage linked to existing production licences, supporting what authorities describe as a strategy for “profitable exploration in mature areas”.
All petroleum licensing rounds are conducted within the framework set by the Norwegian parliament, with the APA round focused on areas with established infrastructure. The APA area “covers most of the opened acreage on the continental shelf and is expanded annually based on petroleum assessments”, ensuring prospective ground does not remain idle.
Equinor Energy emerged as the biggest winner, offered interests in 35 licences and operatorship in 17. Aker BP followed with interests in 22 licences and operatorship in 12, highlighting its role as, in its own words, “one of the most active exploration companies on the Norwegian continental shelf”.
DNO Norge secured stakes in 17 licences, while Vår Energi picked up interests in 14. Licences or operatorships were also awarded to Concedo, ConocoPhillips Skandinavia, Harbour Energy Norge, INPEX Idemitsu Norge, Japex Norge, Lime Petroleum, OKEA, OMV (Norge), Orlen Upstream Norway, Pandion Energy Norge, Petrolia NOCO, Repsol, Source Energy, TotalEnergies EP Norge and Wellesley Petroleum.
Aker BP said the outcome of the round strengthens its long-term plans on the shelf. “We are pleased with the outcome of this year’s APA round. The awards support our long-term growth ambitions on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and provide a solid basis for pursuing a focused and value-driven exploration strategy,” said Petter Sørhaug, senior vice president for exploration and reservoir development at Aker BP.
From the regulatory side, Kalmar Ildstad, Director of regulations, licence and area management at the Norwegian Offshore Directorate, said the results confirm continued confidence in Norway’s mature basins. “This year’s awards show that the companies still see the potential for profitable exploration in mature areas,” he said, adding that near-field resources “will be crucial to ensure high value creation and effective utilization of infrastructure moving forward.”
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Authorities emphasise that each licence comes with a binding work programme designed either to progress prospects or return acreage that does not prove commercial. That structure is intended to “ensure maturation of the acreage or its relinquishment to the state if exploration proves unsuccessful,” helping keep activity levels high without locking up resources.
By concentrating awards in areas with existing installations and pipelines, Norway aims to shorten lead times from discovery to production and to squeeze more value from its established offshore hubs. Officials argue that this approach supports high value creation on the Norwegian shelf even as global energy markets undergo broader transition.
