Barents Sea opens for business

摘要

Norway has awarded 24 production licenses to a total of 29 participants in its latest licensing round, the government said in April, with state-controlled Statoil taking eight of the 24 operatorships offered. The country is eager to halt declining oil production, and has opened up vast areas of the previously mostly unexplored Barents Sea region. The awards in the 21st licensing round include 12 production licenses in the Barents Sea as well as 12 more in the Norwegian Sea. "The 21st licensing round will lay a foundation for further exploration of our least explored areas in the Barents Sea and deepwater areas in the Norwegian Sea," said oil minister Ola Borten Moe.