Exploration News


Norway to Award Arctic Offshore Drilling Permits in Q2

Jan 21, 2021

Norway expects to award oil and gas exploration permits in frontier regions of the Arctic in the second quarter, Oil and Energy Minister Tina Bru told parliament on Thursday.The government in November said it would offer drilling permits in nine offshore regions containing 136 blocks…

Total, Partners Get Hold of Offshore Block in Egypt

Jan 04, 2021

A Total-led international consortium of oil and gas companies has signed an exploration and production agreement for the North Ras Kanayis offshore block located in the Herodotus Basin, offshore Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea.France-based Total is the operator with a 35% stake…

Australia: BP's Closely Watched Ironbark Offshore Well Fails to Deliver

Dec 29, 2020

BP's closely watched Ironbark exploration well offshore W. Australia, which partners had hoped could unearth 15tcf of gas, has not encountered hydrocarbons, not in significant volume anyway.Beach Energy, BP's partner in the project, said Tuesday that the well had been drilled to a total depth of 5…

Talon Adds Three Blocks to Its North Sea Oil and Gas Portfolio

Dec 28, 2020

Australian oil and gas player Talon Petroleum has recently been awarded three new exploration licenses in the UK Central North Sea (UKCS). The new license awards were part of the recent 32nd Offshore Licensing Round offered by the UK Oil and Gas Authority…

Santos Nabs Exploration Permit Offshore W. Australia

Dec 24, 2020

Australian oil and gas company Santos has been granted an offshore exploration license in Northern Carnarvon Basin, offshore W. Australia.The Exploration Permit WA-546-P was granted by National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA) earlier this week…

Eni, PTTEP Grab Hold of Giant Offshore Block in UAE

Dec 22, 2020

Italian oil and gas firm Eni and Thailand’s national oil company PTTEP have been awarded exploration concession for Offshore Block 3 in the United Arab Emirates, with the concession deal signed with ADNOC on Monday.Eni is the operator with a 70% stake in the Exploration Offshore Block 3…

UK, Norway Offshore O&G Sectors to See Modest Rise in Investment in 2021

Dec 21, 2020

After a turbulent 2020 for the oil and gas industry, 2021 is expected to see a modest rise in investment in the UK and Norway offshore sectors, assuming a US$50 per barrel average oil price.Exploration activity could recover to 2019 levels and investment in new developments is set to increase…

Without Sharp Rise in Exploration, World Will Face Long-term Oil Supply Gap

Dec 15, 2020

Inadequate investment in exploration and new drilling may leave the world without enough oil in 20 to 30 years despite a shift towards renewable power sources, top energy analysts say.The long-term outlook contrasts with today's situation where…

Chariot Agrees Key Terms for Rissana License Offshore Morocco. Award Expected in 2021

Dec 14, 2020

OIl and gas firm Chariot Oil & Gas said Monday it has negotiated the key terms of a new license, Rissana Offshore ('Rissana') in Morocco.  The formal award of the license is anticipated to occur in 2021 and is subject to the normal Moroccan regulatory procedures and approvals…

Kosmos Energy Completes Sale of Frontier Exploration Assets to Shell

Dec 10, 2020

London-listed oil and gas company Kosmos Energy has partially completed the previously announced sale of its frontier offshore oil and gas exploration assets to Shell, with the South Africa transaction expected to complete in 2021.Under the agreement first announced in September…

Angola: Sonangol to Accelerate Asset Sales, Reform Despite COVID-19

Dec 03, 2020

Angola’s state oil giant Sonangol will next year accelerate reforms and efforts to raise revenue after the pandemic drained investor interest in an asset sale that has so far netted only around $60 million, its CEO told Reuters in a rare interview…

Equinor Cleared to Drill Exploration Well in Johan Castberg License Area

Nov 30, 2020

Norwegian oil giant Equinor has been cleared to drill an exploration well at the Isflak prospect in the Barents Sea.The well 7220/7-4 sits in the production license 532, in a water depth of 351 meters. The approval was granted by the safety regulator PSA Norway…

Bahamas Petroleum: Virus Mitigation Measures Lift Costs of Perseverance #1 Drilling

Nov 27, 2020

Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC), an oil and gas firm which is gearing up to spud its first well offshore the Bahamas next month, has raised the cost estimates for the drilling operation, citing COVID-19 mitigation measures.As previously reported…

Rystad: E&P Spending in 2021 Could Reach $380B. Return to Pre-Crisis Levels Uncertain

Nov 24, 2020

Investments from the global oil and gas exploration and production companies (E&P) in 2021 are forecasted to reach around $380 billion, almost flat year-on-year, a report by Rystad Energy shows.Approximately 20% or $76 billion of the estimated…

Norway to Offer 136 New Offshore Exploration Blocks in Barents Sea Push

Nov 19, 2020

Norway will offer oil firms exploration blocks in nine frontier areas in its latest licensing round, including eight regions of the Arctic Barents Sea and one in the Norwegian Sea, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and the Petroleum Directorate (NPD) said on Thursday…

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