Statoil wins big in Norwegian APA awards

In connection with the Award in Predefined Areas (APA) 2016 offered by the Norwegian government on Tuesday, Statoil has been awarded interests in 29 exploration licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

Statoil said that out of those 29 licenses, 16 were awarded to Statoil as operator and 13 as a partner.

“New discoveries are needed in order to offset the declining production on existing fields on the NCS,” says Jez Averty, Statoil’s senior vice president for exploration in Norway and the UK.

According to the company, the award is on a level with APA 2015, when a record number of licenses were awarded. This year’s offer includes one commitment well, PL894, in the Norwegian Sea. Statoil is partner with an interest of 40 percent, Wintershall is the operator with an interest of 40 percent, and Petoro is partner with 20 percent.

The license includes a work commitment to drill an exploration well within three years of the award. A potential discovery will have a follow-up potential and may add important additional volumes to Aasta Hansteen, Statoil said.

“Over the past two years we have replenished our portfolio with interesting prospects. This is reflected in the exploration plan we have published for 2017. There we focus on the Barents Sea after high quality awards in the 23rd round and APA 2015. The awards in the APA 2016 round bolsters our position in the Norwegian Sea,” Averty says.

He also added: “Our commitment to the Norwegian Sea is demonstrated by the oil and gas discovery in well 6608/10-17 Cape Vulture, announced earlier today. This license was awarded in APA 2015, and the well completed within one year of award. This is in line with our ambition to quickly clarify the prospectivity acreage we are awarded.”

In APA 2016 Statoil was awarded new production licenses in all of the three provinces on the NCS:

Barents Sea

– 50% share and operator for production license 901 (blocks 7122/5,6 and 7123/4);

Norwegian Sea 

– 64% share and operator for production license 128E (block 6608/10)
– 30% share and partner in production license 255C (block 6406/5)
– 20% share and partner in production license 847B(block 6707/4)
– 40% share and operator for production license 890 (blocks 6507/7,8)
– 40% share and partner in production license 894 (blocks 6604/5,6 and 6605/4,5,7)
– 40% share and partner in production license 895 (blocks 6609/2,3,4,5,6)
– 20% share and partner in production license 896 (blocks 6610/2,3 and 6611/1,2)
– 50% share and operator for production license 897 (blocks 6606/2,3 and 6706/12)
– 70% share and operator for production license 898 (blocks 6707/10,11,12)
– 60% share and operator for production license 899 (blocks 6706/12 and 6707/10)

North Sea

– 49,3 % share and operator for production license 053C (block 30/6)
– 40% share and operator for production license 630BS (block 35/10)
– 20% share and partner in production license 782SC (block 25/7)
– 20% share and partner in production license 860 (blocks 2/6,9 og 3/4)
– 40% share and operator for production license 864 (blocks 6/3, 7/1,2,4,5,6,8 og 16/10,11)
– 45% share and partner in production license 865 (blocks 15/12 og 16/7,8,10,11)
– 70% share and operator for production license 866 (blocks 15/5,8)
– 30% share and partner in production license 867 (block 16/1)
– 40% share and partner in production license 868 (block 16/1)
– 80% share and operator for production license 870 (blocks 25/6,9 og 26/7)
– 20% share and partner in production license 871 (blocks 25/1,2,4,5)
– 40% share and partner in production license 873 (blocks 25/1,2 og 30/11)
– 70% share and operator for production license 878 (blocks 30/2,3)
– 70% share and operator for production license 879 (blocks 34/8,9,11,12)
– 60% share and operator for production license 883 (blocks 35/5,8)
– 30% share and partner for production license 884 (block 35/3)
– 30% share and operator for production license 885 (blocks 35/3 og 36/1)
– 80% share and operator for production license 903 (blocks 25/1 og 30/10)

Other winners

The Norwegian government on Tuesday awarded 56 exploration licenses to 29 companies. Among others, these include Wintershall, Lundin Petroleum, and DEA.

The German oil company Wintershall received shares in five licenses offshore Norway. The company will be the operator of two of these. Two of the licenses are in the Norwegian North Sea and three are located near the Aasta Hansteen development in the Norwegian Sea (two operated).

Bernd Schrimpf, Managing Director at Wintershall Norge, said: “Our goal is to maintain a long-term growth path in Norway so it is critical that we continue to expand our portfolio.”

Guy Oakes, Head of Exploration at Wintershall Norge, said: “We have worked hard to identify blocks with a good chance of exploration success in areas where we have existing infrastructure and assets. This gives us the confidence to keep investing in our core areas, including the region around Aasta Hansteen, where we have an existing good cooperation with Statoil. Together we can contribute to extending the lifetime of the field.”

Swedish independent Lundin was awarded four exploration license interests. The awarded licenses include one license in the North Sea, two in the Norwegian Sea, and one in the southern Barents Sea. Two of the awarded licenses will be operated by Lundin Norway.

DEA was awarded two new licenses, one as the operator.

DEA Norge’s Exploration Manager Svend Erik Pettersson, said: “We focused on getting an operated license with a strong partnership in an attractive area in the Norwegian Sea, and we succeeded.”

In the next years, DEA plans to participate in four to five wells a year, both as partner and as operator.