Norway will launch its 20th licensing round, which includes 79 Blocks with 51 in the Norwegian Sea and 28 in the Barents. According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), new wells in the Barents Sea blocks should provide more information on the area opening up new exploration prospects in the region. The NPD plans to award new blocks with sequential exploration in mind, which is based on knowledge gained from existing leases. The Norwegian Sea blocks are further west and north-west than previous sales. Several of them are located in the deepwater segments of the Voring Basin, which is considered to a complicated, under explored area. The deadline for applications is November 7 with awards scheduled for the spring of 2009.