Norway has today awarded stakes in 62 offshore oil and gas exploration licences to 24 energy companies in its annual licensing round, including in the Arctic's Barents Sea, the country's energy minister said.
The annual award rose from 47 licences one year ago when 25 firms received permits.
The annual predefined areas (APA) rounds of new offshore exploration acreage are central to Norway's strategy of extending oil and gas production for decades to come, a policy that is fiercely opposed by environmental groups.
The number of awards in the Barents Sea, a vast ocean off the northern tip of continental Europe, rose to eight in the new round from just two one year ago as energy companies expressed more interest in the remote, harsh-environment region.
"Last year I asked companies to look more closely at Barents Sea opportunities - this award shows that more companies have responded positively and are taking responsibility," Minister of Energy Terje Aasland told a conference.
Norway in 2022 overtook Russia as Europe's biggest gas supplier as Moscow's invasion of Ukraine severed decades-long energy ties. The Nordic country also partly replaced Russian oil barrels banned by the European Union.
The number of new drilling permits awarded in the North Sea was unchanged year-on-year at 29, while 25 were issued for the Norwegian Sea, up from 16 one year ago.
Each licence will have multiple owners. Among the top recipients are typically Equinor, Aker BP and other major players on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Norway's majority state-owned Equinor was awarded stakes in 39 licenses, including 14 operatorships, while the second-largest listed oil firm, Aker BP, received stakes in 27 licenses, including 17 operatorships.
Vaar Energi came third with stakes in 16 licenses, including four operatorships.
Oil majors Shell and TotalEnergies received stakes in one licence each, while ConocoPhillips received stakes in three.
Each exploration licenses consists of one or several blocks.
