* BP only major not to apply
* Norway expects to award licences in January
* Exploration interest still rising
OSLO, Sept 13 (Reuters) - A record 50 oil companies,including all but one of the majors, applied to take part inNorway's mature areas licencing round, indicating continuedexploration interest even as the country's oil production sinksto a 25-year low in 2013.
"This year there is especially great interest in availableacreage in the northern part of the North Sea and the centralpart of the Norwegian Sea," the Norwegian Petroleum Directoratesaid in a statement. "We also notice an increased interest inthe Barents Sea in relation to previous years.
"We see substantial competition for acreage that has beenawarded several times before," it added.
The oil ministry said it expects to award licences inJanuary.
Exploration interest has taken off in areas once considereddepleted as major finds, including the giant Johan Sverdrupfield with up to 3.3 billion barrels of oil, revived hopes.
High oil prices, improved recovery methods and a 78 percentgovernment rebate on drilling costs have also boosted interest.
Although most finds in mature areas cannot support astandalone development, a vast network of infrastructure off theNorwegian coast will make many of the projects viable, theministry said.
Oil majors seeking to take part include Statoil,Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ENI, ExxonMobil and Total.
BP, a big operator in Norway, did not apply.
In 2012, Norway received applications from 47 companies inthe mature areas licencing round and awarded 51 licences,primarily in the North Sea.