Public consultation begins on Norwegian seabed mining
The Ministry of Energy, Norway, launches a consultation on the seabed areas eligible for exploitation licences.
It is hoped the licenses will help exploration and gather knowledge for sustainable mineral exploitation on the Norwegian shelf.
A previous proposal raised to the Norwegian Government in June 2023 received a large endorsement to open an area for seabed mineral activities and of the management strategy.
This was echoed by the Minister of Energy, Terje Aasland, ‘A large majority of the Norwegian Parliament supports the government’s step-by-step approach to the management of seabed minerals’.
Subsequently, the King in Council decided to formally open an area in the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea for mineral activities on the 12 April 2024.
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate formerly received industry input to clarify which areas are more interesting to explore. This helped shape the public consultation proposal. The area constitutes 386 blocks and approximately 38% of the area, which was opened in April.
The deadline of the public consultation is 26 September 2024. The government plans to award licences in the first half of 2025.
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