Norway's minority government is facing opposition from its key ally in parliament, the Socialist Left (SV), over plans to open a vast Arctic offshore area to deep sea mining. The SV party is urging the government to withdraw its proposal and impose at least a ten-year moratorium on the activity. If approved by parliament, Norway could become the first nation to undertake deep sea mining on a commercial scale, potentially providing valuable metals like copper and rare earth elements for the transition away from fossil fuels.

The Labour-led government, in coalition with the Centre Party, depends on SV's support to pass its budget and other key policies in parliament. Lars Haltbrekken, SV's spokesman on energy and environment, expressed opposition to the government's proposal, stating that a moratorium of at least ten years is necessary to better understand the environmental consequences of deep sea mining before proceeding with seabed mineral extraction.

Haltbrekken mentioned that SV is still discussing its demands for the upcoming fiscal budget, which will be presented on October 6. While he didn't specify whether SV would condition its support for the government's budget on this issue, he emphasized that deep sea mining is "high on our agenda" and "an important issue for us."

The government might still secure approval with the support of the main opposition Conservative party, which initiated the opening process in 2020, as well as the right-wing Progress Party. Nevertheless, SV's opposition highlights the contentious nature of deep sea mining and its potential environmental impacts.

In 2021, SV successfully blocked the government's plans for oil and gas exploration licensing in frontier areas. The Norwegian parliament will discuss the government's bill on deep sea mining this autumn, although a specific date for the debates has not been set. The outcome of these discussions will significantly impact Norway's stance on deep sea mining and its potential role as a commercial mining hub.