(Adds quote, background)
OSLO, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Norway awarded 61 offshore
exploration blocks to 30 oil firms in its latest pre-defined
areas (APA) licensing round, Energy Minister Tina Bru said on
Tuesday.
Firms that won acreage included Equinor, Shell
, ConocoPhillips, Total, Lundin Energy
, Aker BP and Eni's Vaar Energi.
"These companies have shown great interest in gaining access
to new exploration acreage, illustrating the industry's
confidence in continued profitability from exploration on the
Norwegian continental shelf," Energy Minister Tina Bru said.
For a full list of awards, click on https://bit.ly/3sCuDOp
APA rounds cover areas with known geology or near existing
infrastructure.
Norway had received applications from 33 companies, it said
in September.
(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis, editing by Terje Solsvik)