OSLO (Reuters) - Norway will not open new deep-water areas for drilling until an investigation sheds light on BP's well blowout and massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Oil and Energy Minister Terje Riis-Johansen said on Tuesday.
"We are now working on the 21st licensing round. It will be conducted in light of what we have experienced in the Gulf of Mexico," Riis-Johansen said in a statement.
"It is not appropriate for me to allow drilling in any new licenses in deep-water areas until we have good knowledge of what has happened with the Deepwater Horizon (rig operated by BP) and what this means for our regulations," he added.
