Norway Draws 21 Applicants for APA 2026 Production Licences
Norway has received applications from 21 companies in the Awards in Predefined Areas 2026 (APA 2026) licensing round, covering acreage in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea.
The Ministry of Energy announced the applicant total on 11 September 2026 after the application period closed on 1 September 2026. The total number of applications was not disclosed because of competitive considerations.
APA 2026 was announced on 5 May 2026. The predefined acreage was expanded by a total of 70 blocks or parts of blocks for this round. Norwegian Offshore Directorate data shows that the additions comprise 22 blocks or parts of blocks in the North Sea, 10 in the Norwegian Sea and 38 in the Barents Sea.
The 21 applicants are A/S Norske Shell, Aker BP ASA, Concedo AS, ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS, DNO Norge AS, Equinor Energy AS, Harbour Energy Norge AS, INPEX Idemitsu Norge AS, Japex Norge AS, Kistos Energy Norway AS, Lime Petroleum AS, OKEA ASA, OMV Norge AS, ORLEN Upstream Norway AS, Pandion Energy AS, Petrolia NOCO AS, Repsol Norge AS, Source Energy AS, TotalEnergies EP Norge AS, Vår Energi ASA and Wellesley Petroleum AS.
Norwegian Energy Minister Terje Aasland said continued exploration and new discoveries are important for Norway to remain a stable supplier of oil and gas. He also cited the 21 applicants as evidence of company interest in opportunities for new discoveries.
The APA system has been used annually since 2003 for predefined areas of the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Production licences give holders exclusive rights to explore, drill and extract petroleum within the geographical area covered by a licence. The Ministry of Energy selects an operator for each licence.
The Ministry of Energy aims to award the new APA 2026 production licences at the beginning of 2027. The Norwegian Offshore Directorate states that awards are expected during the first quarter of 2027.
Sources: Norwegian Ministry of Energy; Norwegian Offshore Directorate.
