The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has received applications from 15 oil companies for the North Sea Awards 2001 on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

The companies that have submitted applications are: Agip, Amerada Hess, BP, DONG, Enterprise, ExxonMobil, Kerr-McGee, Norsk Hydro, Paladin, Pelican, Phillips, RWE-DEA, Statoil, Svenska Petroleum and TotalFinaElf.

The aim is to award new production licenses in the North Sea Awards 2001 in the first half of 2002.

- It is positive that so many companies are showing interest for the North Sea Awards 2001. The annual awards in the North Sea are important to ensure that the resources in this part of the Norwegian Continental Shelf are managed in a good and efficient manner. At the same time, the relationship between the petroleum activities and other important society interests is important. I would like to emphasise that we are seeking a balance between the interests of the environment, the fisheries, the fish farming industry and the petroleum activities, within the framework of sustainable development, says Einar Steensnæs, Minister of Petroleum and Energy.