Oil and gas companies plan to drill 40-50 exploration wells on the Norwegian continental shelf in 2019, similar to levels seen in 2018, the head of exploration activities at the country's Petroleum Directorate told a conference on Tuesday.
Norway also plans to conduct further seismic studies near its maritime border with Russia so that it can better prepare for any potential discovery of oil or gas on the Russian side, Torgeir Stordal said.
"If the (Russians) find something there, we have to be ready to act," he said, adding it could potentially lead to pressure on Norway to open areas near the maritime border for exploration.
(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis, editing by Terje Solsvik)