Norway was one of the first countries in the world to allow the mining of mineral resources on the seabed. Environmentalists warned of dangers to the ecosystem. Now the government is putting the project on hold.
Norway is not yet starting the controversial mining of minerals on the Arctic seabed. This emerges from the state budget agreed upon by the Norwegian minority government together with the Socialist Left Party.
According to the NTB news agency, licenses for deep-sea mining will not be issued in 2024 or 2025. Environmentalists had warned that the full extent of the environmental damage caused by deep-sea mining could neither be estimated nor controlled.
Concession in Budget negotiations
At the beginning of the year, Norway was one of the first countries in the world to open up to the commercial mining of deep sea mineral resources. A majority in parliament gave the green light to open up an Arctic area on the Norwegian continental shelf for the testing and extraction of minerals from the seabed.
The Socialist Left Party said the current decision was a concession by the minority government of the Social Democrats and the Center Party in order to get the 2025 budget through parliament with their support. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said it was a suspension of plans, not a stop, according to NTB.
Danger to deep ecosystems
The oil and gas nation Norway is said to have many raw materials on the seabed that can be used, for example, for wind turbines or electric car batteries. They are seen as important for the climate change and also as strategically important so that the EU can supply itself with such raw materials in times of international tensions.
But environmentalists warn that commercial mining of raw materials at the bottom of international seas poses risks to organisms there and could release toxins. Studies show risks for the still little-researched deep sea ecosystems. In addition, some experts question the necessity of deep-sea mining for the energy transition.
Greenpeace welcomes the decision
Marine expert Daniela von Schaper from the environmental organization Greenpeace said after the decision: “For far too long, Norway has tried to rush through the exploitation of the deep sea without considering the catastrophic consequences.” Deep sea mining destroys valuable habitats that have developed over millions of years and habitats that are essential for the survival of countless species.
