A selected number of the 33 offshore blocks on offer in this year's Norwegian "North Sea" licensing round will be sought by Statoil.
Applications for this acreage, which mostly lies close to infrastructure with existing or imminent spare production capacity, must be submitted to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy by 25 February. Licences are set to be awarded in April.
The group is well informed about the relevant areas in the round, says Sturla Evensen, project manager for the application.
"Our knowledge of the regional geology is very good, since we've been working on new exploration models for some time," he adds.
Involvement in a number of licences gives Statoil a good overview of available infrastructure and field development opportunities for the blocks on offer.
"And we also have the capacity to accept new assignments, and regard new exploration and development projects as important in safeguarding the long-term outlook for and progress in our organisation," says Mr Evensen.
The blocks on offer fall largely within Statoil's core areas on the Norwegian continental shelf, which include the Tampen region of the northern North Sea as well as the Sleipner and Troll/Oseberg areas in the same waters.
Oil companies were invited by the petroleum ministry last November to apply for acreage in the round.