Norwegian oil and gas firm Statoil ASA (STL.OS) has been awarded 11
licenses in
Norway
's
most recent licensing round, the Norwegian ministry of petroleum and energy
said in a statement Friday.
The company has been given the right to act as operator for eight of the 11
licenses, four of the operatorships are in the
Barents
Sea
and four in the
Norwegian Sea
. Among
the awards is operatorship for production on two licenses in the Hoop area,
about 200 kilometers north-east of the major oil discovery that Statoil
announced April 1.
"I'd particularly highlight the operatorship/acreage in the Hoop area. Future
exploration there is important for us with an eye to the total potential of
this
Barents Sea
province," Gro Gunleiksrud Haatvedt, senior
vice president for Statoil's exploration on the Norwegian continental shelf,
said in a statement.
"The awards strengthen Statoil's ambition to intensify exploration
activity in these parts of the NCS," she added.
In total, the Norwegian government has awarded 24 production licenses in its
21st licensing round, comprising 12 production licenses in the
Norwegian
Sea
and 12 production licenses in the
Barents Sea
.
Norway's recently appointed minister of petroleum and energy said interest in
the country's northernmost seas is "unprecedented."
"The companies have been awarded 12 production licenses for the Barents
Sea, making this the licensing round with the most awards relating to the
Barents Sea," Ola Borten Moe said in a statement. "The present level
of activity in the
Barents Sea
is high and increasing,"
Borten Moe added.
Plans for the licensing round were announced
June 23 2010
, and comprised 94 blocks in the
Barents
Sea
and
Norwegian Sea
. A total 37 companies applied
for production licenses.
Exxon Mobil(XOM) was also among the companies awarded licenses, with
participation in three licenses of which it will operate one. GDF Suez (GSZ.FR)
received participation and operatorship in three licenses, Italian ENI (E) and
RWE Dea (RWE.XE) got two participation licenses each.
Also, U.K. BG (BG.LN) got handed one participation and operatorship license and
Japanese Idemitsu (5019.TO) was handed participation in four of the licences.
Statoil April 1 announced a major oil find in the
Barents
Sea
which it described as "one of the most important finds on the
Norwegian continental shelf in the last decade." The find was Statoil's
first priority in the 20th licensing round on the Norwegian continental shelf,
awarded in April 2009.
At 1240
GMT Statoil shares traded 0.2% lower at NOK150.60.