Norway has expanded its annual offering of mature acreage by 87 blocks in the Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea, ignoring advice from its own environment and marine research institutions to keep some areas off the table.
The awards in pre-defined areas (APA) rounds contain all unlicensed acreage near existing and planned installations in the country’s three petroleum basins.
In the 2017 round, the government has added 34 blocks in the Norwegian Sea and 53 in the Barents Sea to the annual offering.
