Norway halts deep sea mining to 2029: project timing and risk notes for engineers
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Norway has imposed a moratorium on deep sea mining in its territorial waters until 2029, reversing its 18‑month‑old plan to license exploration across 386 offshore blocks covering about 38% of a 280,000 sq. km area in the Arctic. At least two companies that had applied for Norwegian licences targeting copper, nickel, manganese and rare earths will now face a minimum five‑year delay, with mining not expected before 2030. In contrast, US policy is accelerating, with The Metals Company seeking a commercial recovery permit over 25,160 sq. km and two exploration areas totalling 199,895 sq. km in the Clarion‑Clipperton Zone, containing 1.63 billion wet tonnes of nodules.
Technical Brief
- Oslo’s original licensing round targeted 386 offshore blocks in Arctic waters before the political reversal.
- The moratorium was negotiated as part of Norway’s latest national budget deal with the Socialist Left Party.
- Target commodities in Norwegian waters included copper, nickel, manganese and rare earth elements for batteries and defence.
- In the US, President Trump’s April executive order directs agencies to fast‑track offshore mining approvals.
- The Metals Company’s commercial recovery permit application covers 25,160 sq. km within the Clarion‑Clipperton Zone.
- TMC’s two US exploration licence applications add a further 199,895 sq. km of seabed area.
- SEC SK 1300‑compliant resources in TMC’s CCZ holdings total 1.63 billion wet tonnes of nodules.
- Contained metals in those nodules are estimated at 15.5 Mt Ni, 12.8 Mt Cu, 2 Mt Co and 345 Mt Mn.
- Several states, including the Cook Islands and Japan, are advancing seabed exploration within 200‑nautical‑mile exclusive economic zones.
Our Take
With Norway’s moratorium running to 2029 while The Metals Company is advancing Clarion-Clipperton Zone plans, operators targeting battery metals like nickel, copper and cobalt will likely prioritise ISA-regulated international waters over national jurisdictions with tightening policy signals.
The pause comes as Congo still accounts for about 70% of global cobalt mine output, so any delay to alternative cobalt sources such as Pacific nodules prolongs supply concentration risk and keeps leverage with established African producers and refiners.
Within our Policy coverage, most copper- and manganese-tagged pieces centre on permitting friction for onshore projects, so Norway’s move suggests that deep-sea routes to critical minerals are now facing regulatory uncertainty on par with contentious terrestrial developments.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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