In the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) round 2015, Statoil has been awarded interest in 24 licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS), 13 of those as operator and 11 as partner.
"The NCS is the core of Statoil’s business and we are pleased with the awards in the APA 2015 round, which will allow us and the industry to further explore for value. This award is an important contribution to replenishing our exploration portfolio and in the work to maintain the production on the NCS until 2030 and beyond,” says Jez Averty, senior vice president for NCS exploration in Statoil.
Jez Averty, senior vice president for NCS exploration in Statoil. (Photo: Ivar Langvik)
Two commitment wells are included in the work program in areas important to Statoil. Both prospects are potential tie-back opportunities to existing infrastructure – Blåmann to Goliat and Cape Vulture to Norne.
The “Blåmann” prospect in the Barents Sea, where Statoil is operator with 50% participating interest and ENI and Petoro partnering with 30% and 20% respectively, has a firm well commitment to be drilled within two years of award.
The “Cape Vulture” prospect is awarded as an extension of the “Norne” license (PL128) in the Norwegian Sea in which Statoil’s holds a 64% interest, ENI 11.5% and Petoro 24.5%. Also here, the work program comprises a firm well commitment to be fulfilled within two years of the award.
“The APA 2015 award is an important component of securing future activity and value creation on the NCS. We also look forward to the announcement of awards in the 23rd concession round later in the year, in particular the new acreage in the Barents Sea South-East which is an important contribution to further exploration in frontier areas of the NCS," says Averty.
In APA 2015, Statoil has been awarded new licenses in all three NCS provinces.
