The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has announced the next licensing round in mature areas on the Norwegian continental shelf – Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2019. The predefined area has been expanded by 90 blocks, including 48 in the Barents Sea, 37 in the Norwegian Sea and 5 in the North sea. Interested companies will have to bid by 27 August 2019, in order to award new production licenses in early 2020.
Norwegian national pipeline operator Gassco estimates that around 50 undeveloped gas discoveries could be tied in to its gas transportation and export system. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) expects oil companies to submit development plans (PDO) for 3 to 6 offshore oil and gas fields by the end of 2019 and a further 10 to 15 in the following two years. Overall, up to 21 PDOs for new or expanded offshore oil and gas fields could be presented by the end of 2021. Currently, license owners are evaluating around 70 oil and gas discoveries for potential development; most of these discoveries would be tied-in to existing platforms via subsea technology.