Norway's government plans to start surveying the oil and gas potential in the Barents Sea near the marine border to Russia next year to keep its eastern neighbour from getting the upper hand in the region.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg has decided to set aside Nkr50 million ($6 million) in next year's budget so the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate can start the mapping work, according to a report in Upstream's sister publication Dagens Naeringsliv.

The move is "very important to protect Norwegian national interests", Solberg told the newspaper.

"We are now planning a surveying campaign in the areas near the Russian border because we know that they are exploring. If they have more information than us, we will have a weaker position when the resources are allocated," Solberg said, according to DN.

Norway and Russia settled a 40-year dispute over their marine Barents Sea border in 2010. The agreement included provisions for cooperation on possible cross-border petroleum resources.

The countries also agreed to cooperate on seismic acquisition in 2016.

While Norway has so far only drilled one well and performed limited seismic surveying in the area, the Russians are believed to have been more active exploring on their side of the border.

Norway awarded three licences in the area near the Russian border in 2016, which have so far yielded one uncommercial gas discovery.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate estimates the opened southeastern part of the Barents Sea contains about 1.9 billion barrels of oil equivalent in undiscovered resources, mostly gas.

In addition, the northeastern section could hold up to 8.8 billion boe, the directorate has estimated.

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Norway plans Barents mapping campaign