Shell
awarded exploration blocks in Norwegian 18th round
Posted: 08 June 2004
A/S Norske Shell (Shell) announced that the Norwegian Ministry
of Petroleum and Energy has awarded Shell two operatorships and
two partnerships in the 18th offshore licensing round on the Norwegian
continental shelf.
The awarded licences are all in deepwater areas of the Norwegian
Sea off the coast of mid-Norway. The 18th offshore licensing
round was one of the largest in the country's history, with 95
blocks on offer. Shell and Statoil ASA (Statoil) declared an
Area of Mutual Interest in the deepwater prospects in the Norwegian
Sea, and submitted a joint application in the licensing round.
Tom Botts, Chief Executive Officer of Shell Exploration and Production
in Europe, said today: "We are very satisfied having been
awarded operatorships and shares in our prioritised blocks.
Our joint application with Statoil seems to have been well received
by the Government, and I am very proud of the contribution by all
colleagues in both companies. We will now work with our licence
partners to plan and execute the work program of further activities."
Rien Herber, Exploration Director of Shell Exploration and Production
in Europe, said: "Exploring these blocks will be a great challenge,
since much of the acreage is relatively high risk. However we believe
that the deepwater Atlantic margin is still an area of considerable
potential, where we can harness the world-class expertise that
Shell has gained from developing deepwater projects right around
the world. Europe is a heartland for Shell Exploration and Production
and we intend to grow our business here."
Shell has already started negotiations with seismic contractors
and will now discuss acquisition contract awards with its licence
partners. Shell intends to mobilise a vessel for seismic
acquisition this summer, accelerating exploration of the deepwater
area.
A full list of the licences awarded to Shell in the round follows:
Blocks/Production licences
Block 6603/12; 6604/7, 8 and 10
Shell (operator)60%
Statoil 40%
Block 6304/6
Shell (operator)40%
Statoil 40%
Hydro 20%
Block 6406/7 and 8
Total (operator)40%
Shell 20%
Statoil 20%
ENI 20%
Block 6605/1 and 4
Statoil (operator)40%
Gaz de France 30%
Shell 10%
SD0E 20%
For more infoprmation see www.shell.com
Posted by Richard Price,
Editor Pipeline Magazine
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