Norway parliament votes in favour of seabed mining, as expected

Wilh Wilhelmsen Holding ASA

09/01/2024 14:11

By Victoria Klesty
       OSLO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Norway's parliament on Tuesday
voted in favour of allowing Arctic seabed mineral exploration,
in line with a deal reached between the government and key
opposition parties last month, overcoming objections from
environmental campaigners.
    The decision comes as Norway hopes to become the first
country to make deep-sea mining happen on a commercial scale and
secure critical minerals and jobs despite concerns over the
environmental impact and international calls for a moratorium.
    There is yet no set timeline for when exploration could
begin, although the plan is to award companies exclusive rights
to exploration and potential extraction from specific areas
after an after application process.
    The process will be modelled on that established for
Norway's oil and gas exploration, while matters such as taxation
would be debated at a later stage, a policy maker told Reuters.
    "We're now going to see if this can be done in a sustainable
manner, and that is the step we have taken now," Energy Minister
Terje Aasland told parliament.
    The amended version of the government's proposal, which was
debated on Tuesday, sets stricter environmental survey
requirements during the exploration phase than originally
planned.

 (Reporting by Victoria Klesty, editing by Terje Solsvik)
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