Sandefjord, Norway — Norway on Tuesday awarded stakes in 53 offshore oil and gas exploration licences to 20 companies in its annual licensing round, and announced plans for increased drilling in its offshore Arctic region, the energy minister said.
The annual award fell from 62 licences awarded one year ago while the number of oil and gas firms receiving permits declined from 24.
“If we are to uphold a stable production in the years to come, we must explore more and invest more,” Energy Minister Terje Aasland told a conference.
The annual predefined area (APA) rounds of new offshore exploration acreage are central to Norway’s strategy of extending oil and gas production for decades to come, a policy that is fiercely opposed by environmental groups.
Three of them, Extinction Rebellion, Grandparents for Climate and Greenpeace, demonstrated on Tuesday, along with activist Greta Thunberg, by blocking nearly all the entrances to the hotel where the energy minister made the announcement.
Some 60 people protested, carrying banners that said “Norwegian Oil Kills” and “Phase Out Plan Now”.
“We are in a fast escalating climate crisis, which is threatening us and everything that we love. We have a moral responsibility to act,” Greta Thunberg told public broadcaster NRK.
Norway became Europe’s largest supplier of natural gas following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, providing about 30% of all gas imports to the European Union. The country also partly replaced Russian oil barrels banned by the EU.
The latest round awarded 33 licences in the North Sea, up from 29 one year ago.
Another 19 licences were awarded in the Norwegian Sea, down from 25 permits a year ago, while only one licence was awarded in the Barents Sea, down from eight.
In May, the government added 37 new blocks in the latter two areas, arguing more exploration was needed to help maintain Norwegian petroleum production in the future.
State controlled Equinor was awarded stakes in 27 licences, including seven it will operate, while the second-largest listed oil firm, Aker BP, received stakes in 19 licences, including 16 it will operate, the ministry said.
The energy ministry said it would also launch the next APA around, this time focusing on the Arctic, by proposing to expand 76 blocks – of which 68 are in the Barents Sea and the remainder in the Norwegian Sea.
Awards for that round would be announced in January 2026, it said.
Reporting by Nora Buli, editing by Terje Solsvik and Bernadette Baum – Reuters
