Statoil keen on U.S. Gulf despite farm-out plan

OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian oil and gas producer Statoil (STL.OL) is keen for new opportunities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico region, even though it is looking to reduce its stakes in some of the licenses it holds there, a company official said.

Statoil is one of the biggest holders of deepwater leases in the Gulf of Mexico with more than 400 active licenses, many in the early stages of development where farming down, or bringing in additional partners, will reduce risks and costs.

"We are basically farming down in the assets where we would like to see lower exposure," Chief Financial Officer Eldar Saetre told a quarterly conference call on Wednesday.

He said Statoil was one of the "big guys" in the deepwater region and "will look for further opportunities."

(Reporting by Wojciech Moskwa)