Norway has announced the opening of extensive areas in the Arctic for its first round of subsea mining licenses. This decision was released on Wednesday and marks a significant step towards the exploitation of minerals on the Arctic seabed.
The government’s proposal for Arctic mining.
The Norwegian government has proposed the allocation of 386 offshore blocks, representing approximately 38% of the 280,000 sq km that parliament approved for exploration earlier this year. . The allocation of these blocks is scheduled to take place during the first half of 2025.
[post_relacionado]According to Terje Aasland, Norway’s Minister of Energy, the world needs minerals to facilitate the transition to cleaner energy. In his statement, he stressed that the government is interested in exploring the possibility of extracting minerals from the seabed of the Norwegian continental shelf in a sustainable manner. He also assured that environmental considerations will be taken into account in all stages of mining activities.
Business interest vs. opposition from environmentalists
To date, at least two companies have applied for licenses for this exploration. Oslo stresses the importance of Arctic deepwater mining in securing Europe’s supply of essential minerals, such as rare earths and battery metals, including copper, nickel and manganese. Despite these plans, actual mining is not expected to begin before 2030.
Despite government optimism, the plans have faced opposition. Environmentalists have taken the matter to court. Frode Pleym, director of Greenpeace Norway called the plan “a disaster for the ocean and a disgrace for Norway.”
Maros Sefcovic, in charge of GreenDeal in the European Parliament, stated in March that the European Union will closely monitor the process. It is important to note that although Norway is not a member of the European Union, its decisions on offshore mining will have significant repercussions in the region and on the global environment.
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Source: Fourier northernminer
Photo: shutterstock