As part of the ongoing process of opening mining operations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has been commissioned to explore the most commercially interesting mineral deposits on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Based on the mapping, the management must prepare an assessment of the resource potential in the study area. The resource assessment was presented today and submitted to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy.
– A resource assessment by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate indicates significant potential for seabed mineral resources on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. This is very positive news. It could create a whole new maritime industry, says Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland.
Minerals and metals from the Norwegian seabed
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's resource assessment is an estimate of existing resources. It is not an estimate of expected recoverable resources due to the high uncertainty associated with technology and economics. The resource assessment includes an initial, general description and assessment of the potential of the seabed minerals in the study area. The total projected current resources are significant compared to today's annual global production of individual metals.
Access to minerals is absolutely essential
– Extraction of minerals and metals from the Norwegian seabed can contribute to the diversification of the future supply of important inputs for the transition to a low-carbon society. Increased access to minerals is absolutely essential to the success of the green transition. The long and good experience we have in Norway with proper and sustainable management makes us well placed to explore and possibly exploit these opportunities. Recent geopolitical developments also show the importance of having multiple sources of supply and taking advantage of domestic opportunities, adds Aasland.
Lithium, cobalt, nickel, zinc and manganese
Population and prosperity growth, as well as increased use of renewable energy sources, are expected to increase the demand for metals in the future. A greater degree of electrification requires various metallic elements such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, zinc and manganese, and some rare earth elements used in electronics and battery technology.
Read also: Stricter employment rules in employment agencies
There has long been knowledge of deposits and interest in extracting metallic minerals also from the seabed. Such deposits may contain important metals that the world will need in the future. Two types of seafloor minerals are now known to occur on the Norwegian Continental Shelf; sulfide deposits and crusts. Since 2011, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, in cooperation with the University of Bergen, and since 2020 also in cooperation with the University of Tromsø, has been collecting data in the deep-sea areas of the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea.
Resource assessment will form part of the decision basis
Geological and geophysical data, such as detailed depth data, were collected. Data from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's mapping expedition and cooperation with scientific institutions, together with other scientific papers, form the basis for resource assessment. The resource assessment will form part of the decision-making basis for the ongoing process of opening up production operations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, which is led by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. You can read the resource evaluation here.
Like us on Facebook and share our post with others. Thank you.
Source: regjeringen
Read and learn more: Forbidden breeds and types of dogs in Norway
