* For full list of awards, click https://bit.ly/3sCuDOp
(Adds detail)
By Nerijus Adomaitis
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 licences included Equinor, Shell
, Aker BP, ConocoPhillips, Total
, Lundin Energy, Aker BP and
Eni's Vaar Energi, among others.
"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," Bru said of the applicants.
For a full list of awards, click on https://bit.ly/3sCuDOp
APA rounds cover areas with known geology or near existing
infrastructure.
Sweden's Lundin received stakes in 19 licences, followed by
Equinor with stakes in 17 licences, while Aker BP got 10.
ConocoPhillips received stakes in four licences, Total
in three and Shell in one.
Vaar Energi will operate all three licences awarded in the
Arctic Barents Sea.
Norway has also invited oil firms to submit applications by
Feb. 23 for 136 exploration blocks in frontier areas in the
Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea.
Last December, the country's top court dismissed a lawsuit
by environmental groups against oil exploration in Arctic
waters.
Norway is western Europe's largest oil and gas producer,
with a daily output of around 4 million barrels of oil
equivalent.
(Editing by Terje Solsvik and Jason Neely)
