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The ice edge has been retreating for years and
is now outside areas being considered for oil and gas
exploration, environment minister Tine Sundtoft told news agency
NTB.
A debate over the limit of the ice edge has delayed the launch
of the new licensing round as some political parties argued that
ice could in extreme cases reach into future exploration blocks,
creating a safety hazard.
Norwegian energy firms, led by Statoil, have been active in the
Arctic for decades, as its waters, warmed by the Gulf Stream,
are relatively ice free.
However, the government rules in a minority and some of its
outside backers have disputed ice edge definition, likely making
it difficult for the government to conduct the licensing round
under the new definition.
Sundtoft said previous definitions have been based on data
collected between 1967 and 1989, while the new limits are based
on data from 1984 to 2013.
Norway plans to offer blocks to energy firms in the eastern part
of its Barents Sea, where Norway settled a 40-year border
dispute with Russia.
The government's new definition puts the edge of the winter sea
ice, measured at its maximum extent in April, 60 to 70
kilometers north of areas opened to the oil and gas industry,
the minister said.
(Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by David Holmes)
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