Norway has suspended plans to start giving licences for deep-sea mining, after intervention from the Socialist Left Party (SV) over budget negotiations with the Norwegian government.

The government had planned to issue the first exploration permits next year to mine the seabed, becoming one of the world's first countries to do so. However, SV, a party allied with the centre-left government, blocked the move on Sunday in return for supporting the government’s budget for 2025.

“We have stopped the plans to open for mining on the seabed,” SV says in a statement seen by Kallanish. “This is an intervention that will not see the light of day as long as SV has one hand on the wheel. It shows why it is important for the environmental fight with a strong SV; this is a fight we will fight to the end.”

Meanwhile, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told TV2 the decision was only a “postponement”. 

In January, Norway's parliament approved to allow companies to apply to mine around 280,000 square kilometres of its waters. The move came in a bid to secure critical minerals needed for energy transition technologies, including EV batteries, wind turbines, and solar panels.  

Norwegian state secretary Astrid Bergmål recently told Kallanish it was important to have strategic control over resources and ensure that minerals come from countries with “democratic governance.”

However, Oslo’s decision was heavily criticised by environmental groups, scientists, and international institutions, stating deep sea mining could significantly impact marine ecosystems. The World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) Norwegian chapter has also sued the government over its decision, the trial for which commenced last week.

As such, the decision to suspend deep-sea mining has been welcomed by environmental groups. WWF-Norway called the move a “major victory” for ocean conservation and praised the SV party for its intervention.

“This is a major and important environmental victory!” comments Karoline Andaur, chief executive of WWF-Norway. “Fortunately, SV has understood the seriousness and taken responsibility to stop the madness. This is a pivotal moment for Norway to demonstrate global leadership by prioritising ocean health over destructive industry.”

Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle, deep sea mining campaigner at Greenpeace Nordic, adds: “This is a huge win! After hard work from activists, environmentalists, scientists and fishermen, we have secured a historic win for ocean protection, as the opening process for deep sea mining in Norway has been stopped.”

“Any government that is committed to sustainable ocean management cannot support deep sea mining,” the campaigner highlights. “It has been truly embarrassing to watch Norway positioning itself as an ocean leader, while planning to give a green light to ocean destruction in its own waters.”