The country’s Social Left Party blocked plans for seabed exploration in return for supporting the minority government’s budget.
Norway will not announce any licenses for deep-sea mining or exploration activities in 2024 or 2025, the country’s Social Left Party said in a statement. The announcement comes amid negotiations about next year’s fiscal budget. According to the party, it blocked the deep-sea mining plans in return for supporting the minority government’s budget plans. However, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoer emphasized in a TV interview that this would only be a postponement, France 24 reports.
Norway was long seen as spearheading deep-sea mining efforts. Parliament gave the green light to open an area in the North Atlantic for mineral exploration in January (we reported). Then, in June, the north European country took the next step, publishing a concrete proposal for the first licensing round with plans to award the first concessions in 2025. Norway will hold elections next September; until then, plans are on hold.
Meanwhile, a few thousand kilometers to the East, India forges ahead with plans of its own to mine critical minerals in its seabed. Last week, the Ministry of Mines held the country’s first-ever auction of offshore mineral deposits. The auction comprised 13 blocks spread across the Arabian and Andaman Sea, consisting of construction sand, lime mud, and polymetallic nodules.
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