Join us for an exploration seminar

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16/07/2024 We look forward to welcoming you to a seminar on the topic of exploration in the Barents Sea, to be held on 23-24 October 2024 at our offices in Stavanger. The seminar will include presentations by the Ministry of Energy, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate, licensees and suppliers.

The objective of the event is to highlight challenges and opportunities associated with exploration in the Barents Sea and to stimulate increased exploration activity in the area. 

The primary target group for the seminar consists of employees in the resource authorities, licensees and suppliers on the Norwegian continental shelf.

"There are significant opportunities to prove more resources in the Barents Sea. Large parts of this sea area is still fairly frontier acreage, which means that companies may have opportunities to find valuable barrels,” says Arne Jacobsen, Assistant director, subsurface and technology.

Challenging exploration

The Norwegian Offshore Directorate’s analyses indicate substantial remaining resources in the Barents Sea, but exploration in the Barents Sea is challenging. The geological history with considerable erosion and uplift of extensive areas has resulted in leakage from a number of structures that were previously filled with hydrocarbons.

This fact has led to many disappointments in the more than 40-year exploration history in the Barents Sea. Despite this, several discoveries have been made of commercial volumes that are currently being produced, and there are definitely chances of finding more.

More information and registration for the seminar

Presentations from the seminar

Hydrocarbon seeps, new mud volcanos and the search for a new young source rock in the westernmost Barents Sea (pdf)

Unlocking the gas resources in the Barents Sea (pdf)

Remaining undiscovered resources in the Barents Sea (pdf)

Updated: 31/01/2025

Latest news

“New” source rock discovered west of Svalbard
24/04/2025 Studies of natural oil and gas seeps from the seabed have yielded new knowledge about a previously overlooked young source rock.
Production figures March 2025
23/04/2025 Preliminary production figures for March 2025 show an average daily production of 1 972 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.
Drilling permit for wellbore 30/11-16 S
15/04/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Aker BP ASA drilling permit for wellbore 30/11-16 S in production licence 873, cf. Section 13 of the Resource Management Regulations.
An APA overview
09/04/2025 Through APA the industry has gained regular access to new acreage on the Norwegian continental shelf. Today, this includes nearly all the acreage that has been opened for petroleum activity.
Technology Day programme announced
08/04/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate’s Technology Day will be held on 5 June. There are still some slots available!
Another sulphide deposit, “Gygra”, discovered on the NCS
02/04/2025 The Centre for Deep Sea Research at the University of Bergen (UiB) and the Norwegian Offshore Directorate have discovered a new sulphide location on the Knipovich Ridge, west of Svalbard.
New organisation at the Norwegian Offshore Directorate
01/04/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate is implementing a new organisation.
Oil and gas discovery in the North Sea (35/10-15 S and A)
28/03/2025 DNO and its partners have made an oil and gas discovery in the "Kjøttkake" prospect.
Dry well in the Norwegian Sea (6507/2-8)
27/03/2025 Aker BP ASA and its partners have completed drilling on the “Kongeørn” prospect in the Norwegian Sea, 240 kilometres west of Sandnessjøen.
Drilling permit for wellbore 25/11-30 S
27/03/2025 The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has granted Equinor Energy AS drilling permit for wellbore 25/11-30 S in production licence 169, cf. Section 13 of the Resource Management Regulations.