BP makes gas find in Norwegian Sea

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OSLO, Norway, July 19 (UPI) -- The Norwegian government announced British energy company BP made an offshore discovery said to contain at least 42 billion cubic feet of recoverable gas.

Norwegian Petroleum Directorate announced BP completed drilling a well at its production license 212E in the Norwegian Sea.

The agency said preliminary estimates put the volume of the discovery at 42 billion-81 billion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas.

German energy companies Wintershall and RWE have boasted success in the Norwegian Sea this year. Wintershall said its Maria discovery could hold as much as 120 million barrels of recoverable oil and 175 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

A labor strike by offshore workers in Norway this month halted about 15 percent of the country's oil production and 7 percent of its natural gas output.

Oslo in May launched an annual licensing round for blocks and partial blocks in the North, Norwegian and Barents seas.