The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy today received nominations from 19 companies for blocks for the 19th licensing round on the Norwegian continental shelf. These companies are: Amerada Hess, BG, BP, ChevronTexaco, ConocoPhillips, DNO, ENI, Gaz de France, Hydro, Idemitsu, Lundin, Marathon, RWE Dea, Shell, Statoil, Svenska, Talisman, Total and Wintershall. 14 companies participated in the nomination to the 18th licensing round.

66 blocks or parts of blocks were nominated by two or more companies. The companies' nominations are given considerable weight when the Ministry will consider acreage to be included in the 19th licensing round.

The companies were invited to nominate blocks on 14 October 2004. As in the 18th licensing round, each company could nominate up to 15 blocks, to ensure focus on the blocks viewed the most interesting by the different companies.

- The 19th licensing round will give access to frontier acreage in theNorwegian Seaand theBarents Sea. There has been a great interest in the nomination. The announcement before summer of available areas in the 19th licensing round will ensure access to promising areas, says Thorhild Widvey, Minister of Petroleum and Energy.

The Ministry plans to announce the round before summer 2005. Awards may then take place in the first quarter of 2006.

Link to map showing blocks or parts of blocks nominated by two or more companies:
Barents Sea
Norwegian Sea