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时间:2021-01-19 01:25:47

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Norway Moves Quickly to Start Undersea Mining

Norway aims to discover new resources beneath the sea, but its push into mining has raised environmental concerns.

Norway could license1 companies for deep-sea mining as early as 2023, its oil and energy ministry2 told Reuters. That could place it among the first countries to harvest seabed metals. Copper3, zinc4 and other metals are in high demand for electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines and solar energy centers.

However, that could also place Norway on the front line of disputes over the environmental risks of mining the world's unexplored seabeds.

Norway recently announced it was preparing for an environmental study needed to start mineral exploration and mining.

Once completed, the government plans to have public comments on its environmental study and on a proposal to open areas for exploration and production by the end of 2022. A debate and a vote is expected in parliament between April and June of 2023.

"We are moving forward on this, and the momentum5 is high," Oil and Energy Minister Tina Bru told Reuters.

Environmental concerns

The demand for minerals is being driven by what are often called "clean" technologies. But the process of getting those minerals from the seabed could cause environmental problems.

Environmentalists including Britain's David Attenborough have called for a temporary halt to deep-seabed mining until more is known about how it affects sea life. The environmental group Greenpeace called for a permanent ban in a recent report.

In another report, the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, known as the Ocean Panel, also called for greater knowledge about the effects of deep-sea mining. The Ocean Panel is co-chaired by Norway and has 14 member states that want to shape policy on the world's oceans.

Peter Haugan is a professor at the University of Bergen and one of the report's co-writers. He said the group is not seeking a complete "no" to seabed mining, but added that it affects sea life "more than oil and gas extraction."

Moving away from oil

Norway is known as a major oil producer. But, the country of 5.4 million people wants to find something to replace its top industry that is better for the environment and can grow in the future.

The move toward deep-sea mining follows three years of expeditions. The Norwegian Petroleum6 Directorate, which carried out the work, said it found copper, zinc, cobalt, gold and silver. The expeditions also discovered large amounts of lithium and the rare earth metal scandium used in electronics and metal mixtures, the Directorate said.

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) researchers have estimated that there are millions of tons of copper and zinc under Norwegian waters.

Seabird Exploration maps out the seabed for oil and gas. The company plans to seek investment for a deep-sea mining company that would be listed on the Euronext stock exchange in Oslo within months.

The Cyprus-based company believes production could start by the late 2020s and could use technologies used in the oil and gas industries.

"We will need to design from scratch the production system, but the basic elements are there...it will be a mixture of mining and petroleum technology," Seabird Executive Chairman Staale Rodahl told Reuters.

Not alone in development

Norway is not the only country exploring deep sea mining.

Japan has similar plans but its project with private companies is not expected to begin until sometime between 2026 and 2028, an official at the Japanese Agency for Natural Resources and Energy told Reuters. The timing7 will depend on metals prices and reducing the costs of deep-sea mining, the official said.

State-run Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation successfully carried out the world's first test involving the mining and raising of deep-sea minerals to the surface off Japan in 2017.

The United Nations' International Seabed Authority (ISA) oversees8 seabed mineral activities in international waters. The ISA has approved 30 contracts for exploration. China holds the most contracts with five.

The Jamaica-based ISA was forced to delay plans to approve rules governing the production of deep-sea minerals to 2021 from last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Norway does not have to wait for permission from the ISA because its resources are not in international waters.

Walter Sognnes is chief of LOKE Marine9 Minerals, a Norwegian engineering services company. Of deep sea mining, he said: "It sounds fantastic to go deep for minerals, but remember what the oil and gas industry has achieved over the last 50 years, and you can stand on the shoulders of it."

Words in This Story

license –v. to give official permission for a person or group to do some activity

battery –n. a device that stores and provides electricity

turbine –n. an engine with spinning blades that turn because of air, water or steam pressure

moratorium10 –n. a when a particular activity is not a permitted

extraction –n. the process of removing a natural resource from the ground and using it for industry

expedition –n. a trip undertaken by a group of people for a purpose

from scratch -–idiom from a point at which nothing has been done yet

fantastic –n. extremely good


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1 license B9TzU     
n.执照,许可证,特许;v.许可,特许
参考例句:
  • The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
  • The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。
2 ministry kD5x2     
n.(政府的)部;牧师
参考例句:
  • They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
  • We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。
3 copper HZXyU     
n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的
参考例句:
  • The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
  • Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。
4 zinc DfxwX     
n.锌;vt.在...上镀锌
参考例句:
  • Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
  • Zinc is used to protect other metals from corrosion.锌被用来保护其他金属不受腐蚀。
5 momentum DjZy8     
n.动力,冲力,势头;动量
参考例句:
  • We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
  • The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。
6 petroleum WiUyi     
n.原油,石油
参考例句:
  • The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
  • The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。
7 timing rgUzGC     
n.时间安排,时间选择
参考例句:
  • The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
  • The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。
8 oversees 4607550c43b2b83434e5e72ac137def4     
v.监督,监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网
9 marine 77Izo     
adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵
参考例句:
  • Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
  • When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
10 moratorium K6gz5     
n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期),延期偿付
参考例句:
  • The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
  • We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

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