The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy confirmed on 3 March 2020 that the APA 2019 awards were officially made on 14 February 2020 (a month after the offer date of 14 January 2020). A total of 69 licences have been awarded* - 33 in the North Sea, 23 in the Norwegian Sea and 13 in the Barents Sea. Of the 33 companies which applied, 28 have received offers: Aker BP, Capricorn, Chrysaor, Concedo, ConocoPhillips, DNO, Edison, Equinor, Idemitsu, INEOS, Lime, LOTOS, Lundin, Neptune, OKEA, OMV, ONE-Dyas, Pandion, PGNiG, Repsol, Shell, Source Energy, Spirit, Suncor, Total, Var, Wellesley and Wintershall Dea. The unsuccessful companies were Lukoil, M Vest, Petrolia and RN Nordic (plus DEA which merged with Wintershall during the process). Equinor received the most licences at 23, followed by Var with 17 and Aker BP with 15. Five wells have been committed. *Note: PL 1061 will not actually be awarded until the acquisition of Edison by Neptune completes (see separate article for more details).  APA 2019 was opened on 29 May 2019 and bids had to be received by noon on 27 August 2019. The APA area was expanded again this year by 90 blocks â 48 in the Barents Sea (mostly to the east), 37 in the Norwegian Sea (to the west) and five in the North Sea.  The yearly APA rounds are focussed on the more mature areasÂ of the NCS where exploration is potentially time critical. Discoveries are generally expected to contain smaller volumes but are likely to be within tie-back reach of existing facilities, enabling shorter development lead times and requiring lower expenditure.   Â           Licence         Block(s)         Operator         Partners         New seismic/well commitments             036 F         25/5         Aker BP (64%)         Petoro (20%)   LOTOS   (16%)                055 E         31/4         Wintershall (35.2%)         Repsol (33.84%)   DNO   (14.26%)   Neptune   (4.44%)   Var   (12.26%)                093 F         6407/9         OKEA (44.56%)         Petoro (47.88%)   Neptune   (7.56%)                 277 C         29/3         Equinor (51%)         Petoro (30%)   OMV   (19%)                 442 C         25/2         Aker BP (90.26%)         LOTOS (9.74%)         Acquire new EM   data             609 D         7120/2         Lundin (40%)         Idemitsu (30%)                         Wintershall Dea (30%)                636 C         36/7         Neptune (30%)         Idemitsu (30%)                Pandion (20%)   PGNiG   (20%)             867 B         25/10         Aker BP (40%)         Neptune (30%)                         Â           Â          Â          Â          Equinor (30%)      Â                    Â                              917 B         25/10         ConocoPhillips (40%)         Lundin (20%)                         Suncor (20%)                         Var (20%)                947 B         6608/7,8         Equinor (60%)         Var (40%)                                                      973 B         15/12         Chrysaor (50%)         Petoro (20%)                         OKEA (30%)                984 BS         24/9 (below Top   Cretaceous)         DNO (40%)         Source (30%)                         Var (30%)                987 B         30/8         Suncor (40%)         Lundin (20%)                         DNO (20%)   Var   (20%)                1002 B         6407/2         Edison (60%)         Neptune (40%)                1003 B         6406/3         OKEA (60%)         Wellesley (40%)                1009 B         6506/6, 6507/4         ConocoPhillips (65%)         PGNiG (35%)                1014 B         6509/3, 6510/1,   6609/12         Equinor (70%)         Wellesley (30%)                      Â           1032          2/7,10         Lundin (40%)         Source (20%)                         Chrysaor (20%)                1033         1/9, 2/7         OMV (60%)         Chrysaor (40%)                1034         15/12         Chrysaor (60%)         OKEA (40%)                1035         15/12, 16/7,10,11         Suncor (40%)         Neptune (30%)                         Var (30%)                1036         15/9         DNO (60%)         Source (40%)                1037         16/7,8         Capricorn (80%)         Wintershall Dea (20%)                1038         16/4,5,7,8         Capricorn (70%)         Spirit (30%)                1039         16/3,5,6, 17/1,4         Equinor (60%)         Total (40%)                1040         25/10         Equinor (40%)         Aker BP (30%)   Spirit   (30%)                1041         24/12         Aker BP (40%)         Lundin (30%)   Neptune   (30%)         Drill one firm   well             1042         25/9,11,12         Aker BP (40%)         Equinor (30%)                         Var (30%)                1043         25/7,8         Var (40%)         Concedo (30%)   Suncor   (30%)                1044         25/4         Wellesley (50%)         Petoro (20%)   Equinor   (30%)                1045         25/4         Aker BP (65%)         ConocoPhillips (20%)   Lundin   (15%)                                   1046         24/3,6   25/1,4         Chrysaor   (40%)         Petoro (30%)   Suncor   (30%)                1047         30/4,5,7,8         Aker BP (40%)         ConocoPhillips (20%)   Concedo   (20%)   Pandion   (20%)                1048         30/1,2 34/11         Lundin (50%)         DNO (50%)                1049         34/9,12, 35/10         Equinor (40%)         Petoro (20%)         Drill one firm   well                      Spirit (40%)                1050         33/9         Equinor (65.7%)         Spirit (34.3%)         Drill one well             1051         31/3, 32/1 35/12 36/10         Lundin (40%)         Petoro (20%)                         Aker BP (20%)                         Neptune (20%)                1052         35/9,12 36/10         Wellesley (40%)         Aker BP (20%)                Â          Â          Â          Neptune (20%)         Â              Â          Â          Â          Wintershall (20%)         Â              1053         35/4,5,7,8         Neptune (60%)         Wellesley (40%)                1054         34/4,5          Wintershall (40%)         Aker BP (30%)                Â          Â          Â          Neptune (30%)         Â              1055         6305/10         INEOS (60%)         Shell (40%)                1056         6302/,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12         Shell (40%)         Petoro (20%)                Â          Â          Â          DNO (20%)   Wintershall   Dea (20%)         Â              1057         6302/2,3 6303/1,2,3,   6402/11,12, 6403/10,11,12         Capricorn (70%)         Lundin (30%)                1058         6307/1, 6407/10         Equinor (60%)         Chrysaor (40%)                1059         6406/11,12         Shell (60%)         ONE-Dyas (40%)                1060         6407/8,9         Equinor (40%)         Chrysaor (20%)         Drill one firm   well                      OKEA (40%)                1061         6406/2,3,5,6         Wellesley (40%)         Neptune (20%)   Lime   (20%)   ONE-Dyas   (20%)                1062         6507/11         Neptune (40%)         Pandion (30%)   Lime   (30%)                1063         6507/8         Neptune (60%)         Wellesley (40%)                1064         6506/6,9 6507/4,7         ConocoPhillips (40%)         Aker BP (30%)         Drill one firm   well                      PGNiG (30%)                1065         6507/3         Var (40%)         INEOS (30%)   Equinor   (30%)                1066         6507/3         Aker BP (50%)         Chrysaor (50%)                1067         6503/1,2,4 6603/10         Spirit (40%)         Equinor (30%)                         Wintershall Dea (30%)                1068         6603/5,6         Equinor (60%)         Shell (20%)   Wintershall   Dea (20%)                1069         6505/6,9, 6506/1,4,7         Lundin (50%)         Aker BP (50%)                1070         6504/2,3,5,6,9,   6505/1,2,4,5,7,8, 6605/10,11         Total (40%)         DNO (30%)   Var   (30%)                1071         6706/8,10,11,12         Wintershall Dea (30%)         Shell (20%)   Petoro   (20%)   Equinor   (20%)   ONE-Dyas   (10%)                1072         7119/7,8,10,11         Var (70%)         OMV (30%)                1073         7119/2,3,5,6,8         Var (70%)         OMV (30%)                1074         7121/10,11,12, 7122/10         Var (40%)         Concedo (20%)   Equinor   (40%)                                   1075         7123/4,5         Var (60%)         Concedo (40%)                1076         7121/3, 7122/1,2,   7221/12, 7222/10,11,12         Equinor (50%)         DNO (50%)         Acquire new 3D   seismic             1077         7119/3, 7120/1,   7219/12, 7220/10         Equinor (60%)         DNO (40%)                1078         7220/5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,   7221/4         Equinor (50%)         Petoro (20%)                         Var (30%)                1079         7219/9, 7220/4,7         Var (30%)         Petoro (20%)   Equinor   (50%)                1080         7220/2,5         Equinor (50%)         Petoro (20%)   Var   (30%)                1081         7224/2,3, 7225/1          Aker BP (60%)         Equinor (30%)                                   1082         7225/6,8,9,   7226/4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12 7227/4,5,7,8          Lundin (50%)         Spirit (50%)                1083         7228/2,3,5,6,   7229/,1,2,3,4,5,6,    7230/1,2,3,4,5,6,   7231/4, 7329/10,11,12, 7330/10,11,12         Lundin (40%)         Petoro (30%)   DNO   (30%)         Acquire new 3D   seismic
APA 2019 Round: total of 69 licences have been awarded* - 33 in the North Sea, 23 in the Norwegian Sea and 13 in the Barents Sea. Of the 33 companies which applied, 28 have received offers. Equinor received the most licences at 23, followed by Var with 17 and Aker BP with 15.