The Norwegian Ministry of Energy has received applications from 21 companies showing interest in new exploration areas on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) as part of this year’s Awards in predefined areas (APA) licensing round.
APA 2026 was announced on May 5 , with applications closing on September 1. The APA area comprises the majority of the areas on the continental shelf that the Norwegian parliament has opened and made available for the award of new production licenses.
In this year’s licensing round, the predefined area was expanded in the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea by a total of 70 blocks, or parts of blocks.
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) is now working to evaluate the applications, with emphasis on geological comprehension and plans for exploration of the areas. When production licences are awarded, emphasis is also placed on the companies’ technical expertise and experience, and financial strength. The aim is to award new production licenses at the beginning of 2027.
The companies that have applied are Norske Shell, Aker BP, Concedo, ConocoPhillips Skandinavia, DNO Norge, Equinor Energy, Harbour Energy Norge, INPEX Idemitsu Norge, Japex Norge, Kistos Energy Norway, Lime Petroleum, OKEA, OMV Norge, ORLEN Upstream Norway, Pandion Energy, Petrolia NOCO, Repsol Norge, Source Energy, TotalEnergies EP Norge, Vår Energi and Wellesley Petroleum.
‘It is very encouraging to see that the companies have strong confidence in the opportunities for making new discoveries. We have received applications from a total of 21 companies. New licensing rounds are a cornerstone of our efforts to further develop the petroleum industry,” said Norway’s Minister of Energy Terje Aasland .
“Continued exploration and new discoveries are crucial for Norway to remain a stable supplier of oil and gas. Continued development of the industry is important for safeguarding Norway’s economy and jobs, financing the welfare state and ensuring Europe’s energy security.”