Norway's Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland
Core areas key for Norwegian APA awards
The winners of new NCS acreage stress synergies with existing portfolios
State-owned Equinor unsurprisingly dominates licences apportioned in Norway’s Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2022 round, nabbing 18 blocks as operator and a further eight as a shareholder of the 47 on offer, which were shared across 25 companies (see Fig.1). But its narrative on its appetite for acreage is shared by a raft of other successful Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) bidders—namely the importance of adding volumes close to existing infrastructure and producing fields. “Around 80pc of the exploration wells will be drilled in known, mature areas. Discoveries near existing infrastructure require less volume to be commercially developed and can be quickly put on stream and with
Also in this section
19 March 2026
The regional crisis highlights the undervalued role of fixed pipelines in the age of tanker flexibility
18 March 2026
Rising LNG exports and AI-driven power demand have raised concerns that US gas prices could climb sharply, but analysts say abundant shale supply and continued productivity gains should keep Henry Hub within a range that preserves the competitiveness of US LNG
18 March 2026
Risks of shortages in oil products may cause world leaders to panic and make mistakes instead of letting the market do what it does best
17 March 2026
The crisis in the Middle East has put LNG’s ability to offer security and flexibility under uncomfortable scrutiny
