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OSLO, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Norway received applications from47 energy firms, including most majors operating in the country,for oil and gas licences in mature areas, offering a boost forthe sector which struggled with poor exploration results thisyear, the oil ministry said.
Norway each year hands out licences in areas already openedfor exploration, hoping to attract energy firms back to blockspassed over in previous rounds or already abandoned.
The licensing rounds have attracted a plethora of smallerexplorers and also yielded major finds, including parts ofNorwegian company Statoil's Johan Sverdrup field, whichholds up to 2.9 billion barrels of oil equivalent.
Energy firms are returning to areas they once passed over asseismic technology improves, or the size of finds in other areasdecreases. Norway also offers a 78 percent rebate on explorationcosts, make it relatively cheap to drill, attracting smallerexplorers.
Applicants in the 2014 round include Statoil, Shell, Centrica, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, E.ON and GDF. Awards are expectedin January, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
A year earlier, Norway attracted applications from 50companies.
Spending in Norway's oil sector is expected to hit a recordhigh $33 billion this year. However, Statistics Norway recentlyforecast a drop of 7.5 percent next year, as energy firms delayor cancel projects to cut costs and save cash.
Notable exploration failures, particularly in the ArcticBarents Sea, could also curb the appetite for exploration,analysts said.
New licences in frontier areas will not be awarded until2016 as the government needs more time to prepare to give outblocks in an Arctic zone bordering Russia.
(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Balazs Koranyi andSusan Thomas)
