Unprecedented interest in Norwegian shelf
As many as 46 oil and gas companies have applied for licenses to fields on the Norwegian shelf. That is almost twice as many as in the last Norwegian license round. None of the companies are Russian.
By the 7 November application deadline to the 20th licensing round on the Norwegian continental shelf, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy had received applications from 46 qualified companies, a press release from the ministry reads.
Among the applying companies are majors like StatoilHydro, Total E&P Norge AS, ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS, Wintershall Norge AS, AS Norske Shell, Chevron Norge AS.
Despite joint Norwegian-Russian waters in the the High North, there are no Russian energy companies among the bidders.
The ministry aims at awarding the new production licenses during spring 2009. Several of the fields offered are in the Barents Sea.
See map over the field areas here
