Esso Exploration and Production Norway AS* confirms that the company has been awarded operatorship and 30% ownership interest in one new license in the southern part of the North Sea.  The operatorship covers blocks 8/6, 9/2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, 10/4, 7, 8 and 9, 11/7,   and is located in the Norwegian – Danish basin approximately 100 km southwest of Egersund.  Other parties to be awarded interest in the license are Statoil (30 %), RWE Dea (10 %) and SDFI (30 %). (08.06.04)

“We are very pleased to receive this award in the 18th round and will proceed expeditiously to test the resource potential in this area,” said Kathy Pepper, Managing Director of Esso. “The Norwegian authorities recognized Esso's significant technical  efforts in identifying new unexplored areas on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.   We believe that the continued pursuit of new ideas and the opening of new acreage is essential to prolonging successful oil and gas exploitation in Norway.”

Esso’s exploration program in 2003 yielded three discoveries on five operated exploration wells, two of which were near Ringhorne and one on the Voring basin. In addition, Esso, announced that it encountered hydrocarbons in a new discovery (Block 16/1) in the Utsira High area just last week.

Esso Norge is the operator of the Ringhorne, Balder and the Jotun fields, which are all located on the Utsira High area. Ringhorne is located 10 km northeast of the Balder field in blocks 25/8, 25/10 and 25/11. Esso Norge is the sole owner of Ringhorne and Balder, and owns 45 percent of Jotun. (Other Jotun owners are Shell/Enterprise 45%, Lundin 7% and Petoro 3%). The fields are operated by the company’s upstream organization located at Forus outside Stavanger.  

Esso’s net total production for 2003 was 391 thousand oil equivalent barrels per day, and Esso is currently the largest international producer on the NCS.

*An ExxonMobil Subsidiary

Esso Norge AS

Public Affairs, Forus, 8 June, 2004

For more information, contact:
Public Affairs Manager Jone Stangeland, tel: 51 60 69 88  Mobil: 915 66 869