Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gall Storr speaks at the 2024 Autumn Conference of Norwegian multinational energy company Equinor on November 26, 2024 in Oslo, Norway.
Thomas Faure | AFP | Getty Images
Norway has shelved plans to open up a vast swath of the Arctic bottom for commercial-scale deep-sea mining.
The decision was confirmed by the country’s Social Left party on Sunday evening. explain It will not support the minority government’s budget unless it abandons the first round of mining activity licenses, scheduled for the first half of next year.
Environmentalists welcomed the agreement, calling it “huge victory” and “ A great victory for the sea.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gall Storr called the move a “delay”, Reuters report on Sunday, citing comments from private broadcaster TV2.
Storey leads Norway’s centre-left Labor Party, the highest-ranking party in a minority government coalition with the Center Party.
“Our policy has not changed. The budget agreement is a political compromise and will not affect the legal basis or strategy for seabed minerals,” Astrid Bergmaar, state secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Energy, told CNBC via email.
“This agreement means that the first round of licensing can be announced during the next parliamentary term. Until then, we will use this time to continue studying and finalizing the regulations,” Bergmore said.
Bergmore added that the planned licensing round would only apply to exploration activities, noting that before any such work could begin, “it must be demonstrated that the proposed mining can be carried out in a sustainable and responsible manner”.
Norway’s controversial leadership role in extracting minerals from the seafloor has put the country at odds with countries including Germany, Britain, Canada and Mexico, which have all called for a halt to deep-sea mining over environmental concerns.
The practice of deep-sea mining involves using heavy machinery to remove minerals and metals such as cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese from the seafloor, where they accumulate into potato-sized nodules.
These minerals have a wide range of end uses, including electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines and solar panels.
Scientists warn that the full environmental impact of deep-sea mining is difficult to predict.
Environmental campaign groups, meanwhile, say the practice is unsustainable and will inevitably lead to ecosystem damage and species extinction.
On the second day of the 2024 Glastonbury Music Festival at Pilton Worthy Farm in Glastonbury, England, June 27, 2024, two posters were posted on the wall calling for “an end to seabed mining” of the deep sea. explore.
Luke Brennan | Redferns | Getty Images
In a January parliamentary vote, Norwegian lawmakers voted to open a vast area of the Arctic – an area the size of Italy – to deep-sea mining exploration. It paves the way for companies to apply to mine in national waters near Svalbard.
norwegian government explain In June, the company will launch the first licensing round and aims to issue the first mining licenses early next year.
However, Sunday’s delay means government parties have agreed to delay the first round of licenses until the end of next year. Norway is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in September 2025.
“Really embarrassing”
The Norwegian government has previously It has defended its plans to advance deep-sea mining, saying it reflects a necessary step into uncharted territory that could help break the dominance of China and Russia in rare earths.
“No government committed to sustainable ocean management can support deep-sea mining,” Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle, deep-sea mining campaigner at Greenpeace Nordics, said in a statement .
“It is truly embarrassing to see Norway positioning itself as an ocean leader while planning to give a green light to ocean destruction in its own waters,” Heller said.
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