 Over one hundred applications for new offshore oil and gas licences were received in the UKs most recent bidding round, according to the North Sea Transition Authority NSTA. Some 76 different companies submitted 115 bids for North Sea projects, up from 104 applications in the last round in 2019, including from major players Shell PLC LSE:SHEL, NYSE:SHEL and BP PLC LSE:BP. 