Norway has awarded 12 oil and gas exploration licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf to 11 companies in its latest licensing round, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy said Monday.
The ministry said that nine of the licenses were located in the Barents Sea located off Norway's northern coast, while the remainder was located in the Norwegian Sea, which is a part of the North Atlantic Ocean, situated northwest of Norway.
Petroleum and Energy Minister Terje Soviknes said that offering new acreage for exploration was a "vital" part of the government's petroleum policy.
"Through the 24th licensing round, additional promising acreage will be explored, thereby making new discoveries possible. This licensing round confirms that the oil companies see opportunities for further profitable petroleum activity in the north," Soviknes added.
In the latest licensing round, 11 companies were offered participating interest, while six were offered operatorships.
Norske Shell, AkerBP, Equinor, Idemitsu, OMV and Wintershall are among the companies which were awarded licences.
(Anadolu Agency, 06/19/2018)
