Italy's Eni sets eye on Barents Sea

Italian energy company Eni announced it secured a license from the Norwegian government to explore new acreage in the Barents Sea. Eni secured access to an estimated 160 square miles in the Barents Sea just east of its Goliat field, about 50 miles northeast of Hammerfest on the Norwegian coast. It contains both oil and natural gas. The Italian energy company said the proximity to the Goliat field meant the new license area could develop quickly into a commercial prospect. "In 2013, Eni will be the first operator to produce oil from the region with production commencing at the Goliat oilfield," the company said in a statement. Norwegian energy company Statoil had announced that it, along with its partners at Eni Norge and Petoro, made a "substantial" discovery in the Havis prospect in the Barents Sea, estimated to hold at least 200 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent. Statoil and the Norwegian government this year have trumpeted the resource potential at the Norwegian continental shelf.