A section of a sulphide sample, obtained during an expedition to the Mohns Ridge in the Norwegian Sea in 2020. Photo: Øystein Leiknes Nag, Norwegian Offshore Directorate

Today, the Storting (Norwegian parliament) decided to open the Norwegian shelf for exploration and possible extraction of seabed minerals.

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.

Seabed minerals consists of sulphides, manganese crusts and manganese nodules, formed at the seabed in the deep reaches of the ocean.

The Norwegian continental shelf, has sulphides and manganese crusts, containing metals and minerals that are crucial for the technology that surrounds us today – such as batteries, wind turbines, PCs and mobile phones.

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: Norwegian Offshore Directorate