General – Production Licenses
Equinor has been awarded 35 new production licenses by the Ministry of Energy in this year’s APA, Awards in Predefined Areas.
Equinor will gain access to attractive acreage in the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, and the Barents Sea, strengthening the foundation for the company’s exploration activity, production, and long-term value creation on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).
Twenty-one of the awards are located in the North Sea, ten in the Norwegian Sea, and four in the Barents Sea, 17 of the licences with Equinor as an operator.
“We are very pleased with the APA round, which facilitates our plans for a continued high level of activity within exploration. A strong year has been completed with 14 discoveries in 2025, 7 of them Equinor operated. This amounts to approximately 125 million barrels of new recoverable oil equivalent, with a potential for even more,” says Jez Averty, Equinor’s senior vice president for subsurface, the Norwegian continental shelf.
“Our geological knowledge is high, and we are constantly learning more through further exploration. Awards in lesser-known areas, such as we have received in the northeastern part of the North Sea and in the southwestern Møre Basin, provide new and exciting opportunities,” says Averty.
Equinor plans to drill 20-30 exploration wells annually. 80 percent of the exploration will be near existing infrastructure, while 20 percent will explore new concepts and lesser-known areas.
