Norway’s annual exploration round, which is known as APA, focuses on the most mature regions of the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).
The Norwegian Ministry of Energy has awarded ownership interests to 24 companies in the awards in pre-defined areas (APA) 2023 round across 62 offshore production licenses.
According to the Ministry, a production license provides the exclusive rights for exploration, drilling, and petroleum extraction within the designated geographical area covered by the license. Each license is associated with a binding work programme.
Equinor won 39 new production licences in the APA 2023 licensing round.