“We value the stable APA licensing framework in Norway which allows us to continue exploring for hydrocarbons on the Norwegian Shelf,” said Alv Bjørn Solheim, Managing Director Wintershall Dea Norge, after the awards were announced by Norway’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Marte Mjøs Persen, on January 18. “Access to new acreage gives us the confidence to invest in Norway for the long-term, to deliver new projects and tax revenues to the Norwegian society, and to support the local service industry”, Solheim added.

FOCUS ON EXPLORING IN MATURE AREAS

The APA 2021 awards, which include five new licenses and two area extensions, are all located in mature areas of the Norwegian Continental Shelf where Wintershall Dea has an existing acreage position.

Five of the new licenses are located in the North Sea. The two other new licenses are located in the Norwegian Sea, including a new operated license close to the Njord field.

“We have been very successful in recent years exploring close to existing infrastructure in areas where we have in-depth knowledge of the regional geology. We believe that by continuing to focus on these areas we can deliver further discoveries with short lead times,” said Hugo Dijkgraaf, Chief Technology Officer of Wintershall Dea and responsible for Exploration. “Moreover, by exploring our focus areas further and adding possible discoveries to existing production facilities, we ensure a more sustainable production with lower emissions”, he added. Wintershall Dea is an expert for developing smart subsea solutions, for instance with its operated Nova field in the Norwegian North Sea, which will come on stream later this year.

Recent operated discoveries include Bergknapp, close to Wintershall Dea’s Maria field, and Dvalin North, close to the own operated Dvalin field. Both are among the ten largest discoveries on the Norwegian Shelf over the past five years.

MAINTAINING THE PIPELINE OF EXPLORATION OPPORTUNITIES

With at least seven exploration and appraisal wells scheduled in Norway in 2022, the new awards further strengthen Wintershall Dea’s position as one of the leading operators in Norway. Besides replenishing the license portfolio, the awards provide Wintershall Dea with the opportunity to apply new ideas to areas that have been licensed several times before. This strategy has proven very successful in recent years, with a total of 12 discoveries since the merger between Wintershall and Dea in 2019.

The Ministry awarded a total of 53 licenses to 28 companies in the APA 2021 licensing round. The round comprises blocks in predefined areas in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea.

Wintershall Dea Norge is one of the largest license holders on the Norwegian Shelf with a portfolio of over 100 exploration and production licenses, including the new APA 2021 awards.

WINTERSHALL DEA LICENSES IN THE APA 2021 ROUND:

North Sea:

PL 1151 (40% operator)

PL 1149 (40% operator)

PL 927 B (50% operator)

PL 1153 (30%)

PL 1100 B (20%)

Norwegian Sea:

PL 1155 (30 % operator)

PL 1167 (40%)