Norway has paused its controversial project to open up its seabed for commercial-scale deep-sea mining.

Oslo had planned to let companies apply to mine 280,000 sq km (108,000 sq miles) of its waters for precious metals – an area equivalent to Italy – situated between Svalbard and Jan Mayen Island in the Arctic region.

The move was blocked after the country’s Socialist Left Party said it would not support the government’s budget unless it scrapped the first licensing round, set for 2025.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoer called Sunday’s development a “postponement” and said preparatory work on regulations and environmental impact would continue.

“A huge win”

“This is a huge win! After hard work from activists, environmentalists, scientists and fishermen, we have secured a historic win for ocean protection, as the opening process for deep sea mining in Norway has been stopped. The wave of protests against deep sea mining is growing. We will not let this industry destroy the unique life in the deep sea, not in the Arctic nor anywhere else”, said Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle, deep sea mining campaigner at Greenpeace Nordic.

“It has been truly embarrassing to watch Norway positioning itself as an ocean leader, while planning to give green light to ocean destruction in its own waters.” 

A world first

Norway, whose vast hydrocarbon reserves made it one of the world’s wealthiest countries, had taken a leading role in the global race to mine the ocean floor for metals that are in high demand as nations transition away from fossil fuels. Norway became the first country in the world to move forward with commercial-scale deep-sea mining when it approved the plans in January.

The deep sea is home to minerals such as lithium, scandium and cobalt – which are critical for green technologies. Although the metals are available on land, they are concentrated in a small number of countries, increasing the risk to supply. The move put Norway at odds with the EU and the UK, which have called for a temporary ban on the practice due to concerns about environmental damage.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Norway said in a statement recently it was suing the government over the plans.

One of the Norwegian seabed mineral start-ups – Green Minerals – said it expected a delay of up to a year following the plans’ suspension.