Equinor awarded 35 new production licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf

January 15, 2026

View from the Johan Castberg FPSO in the Barents Sea Photo: Ole Jørgen Bratland / ©Equinor

Equinor has been awarded 35 new production licenses by the Ministry of Energy in this year’s APA, Awards in Predefined Areas.

Equinor will gain access to attractive acreage in the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea, strengthening the foundation for the company’s exploration activity, production and long-term value creation on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

Twenty-one of the awards are located in the North Sea, ten in the Norwegian Sea, and four in the Barents Sea, 17 of the licences with Equinor as an operator.

“We are very pleased with the APA round, which facilitates our plans for a continued high level of activity within exploration. A strong year has been completed with 14 discoveries in 2025, 7 of them Equinor operated. This amounts to approximately 125 million barrels of new recoverable oil equivalent, with a potential for even more,” says Jez Averty, Equinor’s senior vice president for subsurface, the Norwegian continental shelf.

Jez Averty - portrait — Jez Averty, Equinor’s senior vice president for subsurface, the Norwegian continental shelf

Photo: Arne Reidar Mortensen / ©Equinor

The licenses are awarded within areas with existing infrastructure and new areas.

“Our geological knowledge is high, and we are constantly learning more through further exploration. Awards in lesser-known areas, such as we have received in the northeastern part of the North Sea and in the southwestern Møre Basin, provide new and exciting opportunities,” says Averty.

Equinor plans to drill 20-30 exploration wells annually. 80 percent of the exploration will be near existing infrastructure, while 20 percent will explore new concepts and lesser-known areas.

Discovery and maturation of new resources are necessary for Equinor to develop 6-8 new subsea developments each year until 2035. This is a significant increase from the current level.

As Europe’s largest energy provider, Equinor plays a key role in European energy security and energy transition.

“Access to new acreage is crucial for our ambition to maintain a high level of production and predictable energy deliveries to Europe from the NCS towards 2035. There is still a lot of energy left on the NCS, but we need new discoveries to curb the expected production decline. Phasing in oil and gas from new discoveries to existing infrastructure is a core task going forward,” Averty concludes.

Exploration on the NCS

2025 was a good exploration year for Equinor. 14 out of 31 wells (15 Equinor-operated) drilled in the 2025 exploration programme were successful (7 of these were operated by Equinor).
To maintain the level of activity and slow the expected production decline on the Norwegian continental shelf, exploration and production drilling are absolutely essential.
Equinor’s ambition is to maintain approximately the same production level in 2035 as in 2020. This corresponds to a production of 1.2 million barrels of oil and gas per day from the Norwegian continental shelf in 2035. This is ambitious and will require significant effort.
Exploration on the Norwegian continental shelf is primarily about access to acreage. In the coming years, 80 percent of Equinor’s exploration will be near existing fields, while 20 percent of exploration campaigns will test new ideas or take place in less explored areas.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning have enabled new technology for faster and more advanced seismic interpretation of subsurface data. This includes tools for optimized well planning, real-time decision-making, subsurface visualization, and automated seismic interpretation.
As the largest supplier of energy to Europe, it is crucial that Equinor maintains a high level of exploration activity. With three gas processing plants, one oil refinery, two oil terminals, one LNG plant, and a pipeline network of nearly 9,000 kilometer, the Norwegian oil and gas infrastructure is strategically positioned for energy deliveries to Norway’s most important markets in the EU and the United Kingdom.