Norway Proceeds with Offshore Mineral Plans

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Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Defying pleas from its European counterparts, the Norwegian parliament agreed to open up areas offshore for the exploration and production of minerals necessary for the energy transition.

Hilde Braut, who leads Norway's efforts to probe for seabed minerals, said this is an early foray into offshore exploration that comes seven years after the government systematically mapped the areas in question.

The government said it already has concluded there may be "significant" deposits of sulfides and manganese crusts offshore. These deposits are typically found offshore Norway, about two miles below the water's surface.

Both minerals can serve as feedstock for materials in utility-scale batteries, supporting Norway's claim that these deposits "are essential to the energy transition."

Materials like these are available in terrestrial deposits, but they tend to be concentrated in only a few countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is rich in cobalt but typically embroiled in civil conflict.

Hilde, however, said that while the government has extensive knowledge about subsea minerals, it needs more information, particularly on the environment, "before extraction could possibly become relevant."

Subsea extraction is hotly disputed within the region. More than 100 lawmakers from the European Union called on Norway's parliament in November to turn down any exploration efforts, citing the potential risk to the marine environment.

Apart from noise and light pollution, critics have expressed concern about the ecosystems near these mineral deposits.

"The Norwegian government always highlighted that they want to implement the highest environmental standards," said Martin Webeler, a researcher at the Environmental Justice Foundation, in a BBC interview in January. "That is hypocritical whilst you are throwing away all the scientific advice."

The Seabed Minerals Act, enacted in 2019, outlines provisions related to safety, economic and environmental considerations for Norway. Compensation would be offered to offset at least some of the financial loss from fisheries impacted by exploration and production.

Braut, the head of Norway's efforts to probe for seabed minerals, said any development plans would need to include project-specific impact assessments that must pass through parliament before approval, though the interest is clearly there.

"We know there are a handful of companies that may be interested," she said.

Apart from minerals, the Norwegian government this week opened areas in its territorial waters of the North Sea for potential subsea storage of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas.

Norway is a global leader in crude oil and natural gas production. It produced, on average, 1.8 million barrels per day of oil in January, the last full month for which data are available, and about 13.3 billion cubic feet of gas per day. Oil production was 2% higher than expected, while gas output was 0.2% less than the government's forecast.

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