Bidding closes for latest Norway offshore licensing round

Twenty-one companies submitted bids for Norway’s Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2024 licensing round.

This year’s process had been expanded to include 34 blocks in the Barents Sea and three in the Norwegian Sea.

Kalmar Ildstad, director license management at the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD), said most of the companies already active on the Norwegian Continental Shelf had participated.

“The applications confirm considerable interest in exploration near existing fields and infrastructure,” he added.

The NOD will assess the applications in terms of geological studies and plans for exploration of the requested areas, also examining the bidders’ technical and financial capabilities.

Production licenses should be awarded in early 2025.