OSLO, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Oil firms will probably file between five and ten applications to develop new oil and gas fields off Norway in 2018 compared with around ten expected this year, the country's oil minister said on Wednesday.

"It'll be somewhat fewer than in the current year but more than last year," Terje Soeviknes told Reuters on the sidelines of an energy conference.

This is the first time the minister gave an estimate of development plans to be expected next year.

(Reporting by Henrik Stolen, writing by Terje Solsvik, editing by Nerijus Adomaitis)