The Storting (Norwegian parliament) has endorsed the Government’s proposal to open parts of the Norwegian continental shelf for exploration for and production of seabed minerals.
A final resolution will be made in the form of a Royal Decree.
The Norwegian Offshore Directorate has contributed to the opening process, among other things by coordinating work on the impact assessment and preparing a resource assessment.
It has mapped vast areas in the northern Norwegian Sea since 2017, taken samples, and collected data about minerals and metals found on the seabed. This has been done through their own expeditions, and also in cooperation with expert communities at the universities in Tromsø and Bergen.