"We're pleased with the awards that gave us two new operatorships," says Torstein Dale Sjøtveit, director of Hydro's business sector within Exploration and Development, Norway.
"The North Sea round gives the companies on the Norwegian continental shelf the opportunity to vacuum up resources in the vicinity of existing infrastructure.
We've got operatorships and a 50 percent ownership stake on Block 30/11. This is a part of an area we're scouring for new resources for the Oseberg installations. In addition, we got a seismic option on Block 7/1. A good deal of work must be done here before we can determine that the block holds drillable prospects," Sjøtveit comments.
"Hydro's engagement in this round is part of our long-term participation in the Norwegian sector," he adds.
According to the press release from the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, the following companies received new operatorships: Norsk Hydro, Statoil, Phillips and RWE-DEA, with two each, and Pelican/Dong and Kerr-McGee with one new operatorship apiece.
The following companies were awarded shares in offshore licenses: TotalFinaElf and Dong with two each, and Svenska Petroleum, Norsk Hydro, Statoil, Paladin, RWE-DEA, Enterprise and Norsk Agip with one apiece.
The North Sea Awards 2001:
| Blocks or parts of blocks | Company | Share (percent) |
| 7/1 | Norsk Hydro (operator) Dong |
60 40 |
| 30/11 (part) | Norsk Hydro (operator) Enterprise |
50 50 |
| 2/9 (part) | Philips (operator) Dong |
70 30 |
| 2/4 (part) | Phillips (operator) Norsk Agip Norsk Hydro Statoil TotalFinaElf SDFI |
35.112 12.388 6.654 0.950 39.896 5.00 |
| 33/12 (part) | Statoil (operator) SDFI |
70.00 30.00 |
| 30/6 (part) | Statoil (operator) TotalFinaElf RWE- DEA Paladin Svenska SDFI |
18.00 18.00 13.50 9.00 4.50 37.00 |
| 30/2 (part) | RWE-DEA (operator) | 100 |
| 34/9 (part) | RWE-DEA (operator) | 100 |
| 33/9 (part) | Kerr- McGee (operator) | 100 |
| 1/3 (part) | Pelican/Dong (operator | 100 |
| Ministry of Petroleum and Energy press release on North Sea Round | |
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