Norway awards 57 new oil and gas permits in Norwegian waters

Five of the permits are in the Barents Sea, 21 are in the Norwegian Sea and 31 are in the Norwegian part of the North Sea.

The shares are held by 19 different companies.

"Norway is Europe's most important energy supplier, but in a few years, production will start to decline. Therefore, we need new projects that can slow the decline and provide the highest possible production," says Terje Aasland, Norway's Minister of Energy, according to the press release.