DEA clinches two Barents Sea blocks in Norway bid round

DEA has been awarded the two production licenses (PL) applied for: 20% in PL 960 (Equinor operator) and 15% in PL 964 (Aker BP operator).

Svend Erik Pettersson, DEA’s Exploration Manager in Norway, said he was satisfied and holding high hopes for the new acreage: “We got what we applied for and are on track with the strategy to strengthen our portfolio in the Barents Sea. Both licenses are in promising geological provinces, and I’m looking forward to sitting down with our partners and plan the next steps,” he says.

“Norway plays a key role in DEA’s global activities and we see large exploration potential, in particular in the Barents Sea”, says Manfred Boeckmann, Senior Vice President Exploration DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG. “These awards are a perfect fit to our existing license portfolio and support DEA’s long-term commitment to further growth on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. It proves once again the authorities’ continued confidence in DEA’s competencies”, Boeckmann adds.

In all, 12 production licenses were offered to 11 companies in the 24th licensing round, of which three licenses in the Norwegian Sea, and nine in the Barents Sea.

The 24th licensing round was announced 21 June last year. The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy announced 102 blocks/parts of blocks, of which 9 were in the Norwegian Sea and 93 in the Barents Sea. Nearly half of this acreage is now included in the offers issued this week; all 9 blocks in the Norwegian Sea and 38 blocks in the Barents Sea.