Oil company BP says it decided not to bid for a drilling licence near Greenland but won't say whether the decision was influenced by the disastrous blowout of a deepwater well in the Gulf of Mexico.

BP spokesman Robert Wine confirmed Thursday the company was aware of the current licensing round in Greenland, and was involved at an early stage.

However, he said BP PLC "decided not to proceed with a bid."

He declined to discuss the reasons, or whether the decision was made before or after the Deepwater Horizon disaster on April 20.

On Tuesday, Britain's Cairn Energy PLC said it found gas off the west coast of Greenland.

The environmental group Greenpeace, which has a ship near the drilling site, says drilling in the area is reckless.