NORWEGIAN ENERGY: AND A-ROUND WE GO!

C O N F I D E N T I A L OSLO 000407 SIPDIS EUR/NB, EEB/ESC, OES/GC E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2019 TAGS: ECON ENRG EPET PGOV SENV NO SUBJECT: NORWEGIAN ENERGY: AND A-ROUND WE GO! REF: A. 2008 OSLO 623 ¶B. 2008 OSLO 129 ¶C. 2008 OSLO 128 ¶D. 2008 OSLO 126 Classified By: Acing DCM Kristen Bauer, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. US hydrocarbon giants were largely pleased with the GON's 20th licensing round results. These rounds involve opportunities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The 20th round drew record numbers of participants. Critics assert that an increased number of small to mid-sized round winners dilutes the operatorship pool, increases the number of NCS players, and serves as a mixed bag. These critics propose that smaller companies have neither the capital, nor technological expertise, to tackle the geological challenges confronting NCS development. End Summary. Back to the Basics -------------- ¶2. (U) Norway is the world's second largest gas exporter, and fifth of oil. The GON owns all subsea petroleum deposits on the NCS, and periodically opens certain blocks for exploration, production drilling and production. Licenses are usually awarded through licensing rounds, with the GON announcing a certain number of blocks for which a production license application may be submitted. Through the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, and ultimately the Petroleum Ministry, the GON chooses available blocks for each round. Undeveloped frontier acreage, which offer the most attractive (and most technologically challenging) potential commercial opportunities, are usually announced every 2 years. (Note: the 20th round was criticized for its delays, with the cycle taking over 3 years). Frontier acreage is often identified by little geological knowledge of the area and a lack of existing infrastructure. ¶3. (U) The Petroleum Ministry ultimately awards operatorships, and often creates a group of companies for each license. The Ministry may make adjustments to a group which submitted a joint application. The license allows an exclusive right for exploration, drilling and petroleum production. The initial exploration period may last up to a decade. Minding the Store, Stocking the Shelf -------------- ¶4. (C) Norway's energy sector continues its transition from oil to gas. By all accounts, significant energy supply exists in the Barents Sea off the Lofoten Islands--known as the Nordland VI, VII and Troms II fields. The left-of-center government has declared these areas inaccessible, given various environmental and fishing concerns (Reftels B-D). Number Crunching, New Regs -------------- ¶5. (U) The latest round, covered 63 blocks in the Norwegian and Barents Seas. Fifteen companies received operatorships. The round attracted 46 applicants, a record, and up significantly from the 19th round--where 24 companies submitted applications. The GON imposed new environment/fishery restrictions, given that many of the blocks are in environmentally-sensitive Arctic waters. The Round: Companies Squared Off -------------- ¶6. (C) In prior advocacy efforts leading up to the round, US companies informed Econoff of the need for greater field operatorship activities, while stressing the necessity of opening future exploration areas if the companies were to stay in Norway for the long-haul (Reftel A). Corporate execs emphasized that US companies had the experience, technological know-how and capital to tackle challenging blocks. The overall NCS investment numbers are staggering: in 2006, foreign and Norwegian petroleum firms invested approximately USD 15 billion in the off-shore petroleum sector. (Note: An industry insider suggests that 2009 investment figures may reach USD 21.3 billion). And the Winner is.... -------------- ¶7. (C) US Companies were beneficiaries of the 20th round. Long-term players with a significant NCS history include ExxonMobil ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Marathon and Hess. American companies have been in Norway since the late 1960s, with ConocoPhillips behind the massive Ekofisk project, which initiated the Norwegian oil adventure. These companies are expert in navigating the Norwegian regulatory regime (Reftel A). ¶8. (C) With the exception of one American company (which felt that a mid-sized non-US competitor should not have won an operatorship),the vast majority of US producers were pleased with the results. Four American companies received single operatorships, with another winning a participation license. American companies will hold operatorships or participation licenses for 23 of the 63 blocks opened in the round. Awarded areas reveal production moving North to the Barents Sea, and further offshore to the Norwegian Sea. ¶9. (C) Concerning non-US winners, only Eni Norge and StatoilHydro received more than one operatorship, winning 2 and 5 operatorships, respectively. (Note: StatoilHydro's market dominance of the NCS, controlling about 80 percent of the operatorships, continues to vex and trouble US companies concerned with that GON-controlled business' market dominance (Reftels A-D)). ¶10. (C) Nevertheless, US companies have expressed disappointment that only 63 of the 301 blocks originally nominated were opened up. With slowing production, companies need more acreage in order to both sustain production levels, and to commit resources to future activity. New (Bankrupt) Kids on the Blocks? -------------- ¶11. (C) The increased number of 20th round bidders --while confirming overall NCS interest--did not show significant large-scale interest by the major producers. The larger applicant pool consists mainly of small to mid-sized companies, who have been severely affected by the global credit crisis. Unlike larger competitors, these smaller players do not have the technological expertise, or huge capital reserves, needed to successfully hold an operatorship. The NCS: Fields of Dreams? -------------- ¶12. (C) Comment. The GON's commitment to award licenses to a greater number of smaller companies than ever before suggests many things. First, including more companies rebuffs claims that the NCS is effectively controlled by StatoilHydro. More actors give the impression of more competition. Secondly, the GON's inclusion of new blood in the game signals to the old players that they should not take their long-standing NCS positions for granted. New actors brings new competition. The GON may be seen as warning the old-school players that their NCS future is not presumed. Finally, new leaner, meaner players may arguably lead to more innovation, with these emerging companies taking bold approaches to NCS development. Nevertheless, the GON must consider that the NCS is no longer a field of dreams: opening up areas does not mean the producers will come. British Petroleum took a pass on the 20th round. Despite good news concerning recent awards, US companies privately assert that the offerings in this round were mediocre, at best. The big US companies provide the needed technology and money to develop the NCS' most promising areas. Rumors swirl that many of the small companies benefiting from the 20th round are in dire financial straights--and many won't live to see their operatorships developed. Without future opportunities around Lofoten, US companies may ultimately leave Norway, turning the NCS into fields of dreams, rather than realistic projects. JOHNSON