ENI’s Vår Energi gets 17 new exploration licenses in Norway

Italian energy major ENI through Vår Energi, jointly owned by ENI (69.6%) and by HitecVision (30.4%), will participate in a total of new 17 licenses as a result of the Awards in Predefined Areas 2019 (APA) by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy of Norway (MPE), ENI said on 15 January.
Vår Energi has been granted the following 7 operatorships (OP) and 10 partnerships in licenses distributed over the three main oil and gas provinces in the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).
Following the recent completion of the acquisition of ExxonMobil’s upstream assets in Norway, the results of the APA 2019 reinforces Vår Energi’s position as a major independent E&P company in Norway, ENI said, adding that the new exploration licenses are located both around operated hubs and in other areas, confirming Vår Energi’s strategy and commitment to the exploration of the NCS, which is a key part of the company’s future organic business growth.
In related news, ENI CEO, Claudio Descalzi and Politecnico di Torino Rector Guido Saracco signed on 13 January a Memorandum of Understanding to further strengthen scientific collaboration. According to ENI, this agreement will involve the launch of the “MarEnergy Lab” research laboratory, which will investigate specific issues, enhance related understanding, and also contribute to the rapid deployment of industrial technologies that use marine energy resources. Furthermore, a teaching position on “Energy from the Sea” will be created to train engineers who will specialise in the use of the new technologies developed in the laboratory itself.
The Politecnico di Torino is a leading global player in the study and development of technologies for the use of marine renewable sources, particularly wave motion.
“Thanks to this strengthened collaboration with the Politecnico di Torino, ENI reaffirms its commitment to the development and implementation of new technologies which will play a key role in decarbonisation, looking forward to new energy frontiers with a focus on the largest unused renewable energy source in the world:  waves,” Descalzi said.
For his part, Saracco said collaborating with ENI in a sector of strategic importance for the planet as is energy production from renewable sources, exemplifies open innovation at Politecnico University’s research laboratories. “Our laboratories have completed all the necessary preparatory stages, from creating the Wave for Energy subsidiary, to its adoption by a large industrial group. This agreement further enhances our collaboration with ENI by extending it to education and by establishing a related supply chain, as well as expanding our collaboration on research areas relating to sea energy,” Saracco said.