The seminar started by the Ministry of Energy presented the status of the opening process for seabed minerals activities. They are currently in the final stages of preparing the first licensing round and expect the granting of licenses in the spring of 2025.

Anette was very specific that Adepth would only start deep-sea mining if it could be done with a low environmental impact.

A lot of exploration work remains to be done before we get to this point. More drill cores are one of the key elements needed to quantify the resource potential, said Hilde Braut, assistant director of the Norwegian Offshore Directorate.

Possible for Norway to take a leading role

Developing more efficient coring technology and methodology is an important part of the EMINENT-project, as well as parallel operation where environmental and geological data are acquired simultaneously.

Anette says Norway has all the prerequisites to take a leading global position within the management of deep-sea resources and establishing a national supply chain for critical minerals.

Anette presented the good experience and value of close industry-university collaboration in the E. This was echoed by Rolf Birger Pedersen, professor at the University of Bergen, who has been heading several research expeditions in the deep sea during the last decades.

Plan for a new applied research center

Rolf Birger summarised his experience with deep sea research in Norway over the last 25 years and his perspectives on the collaboration and knowledge needed when moving forward. He also outlined the plan to establish a Centre for Research-based Innovation (SFI) within deep sea exploration, a long-term close collaboration between universities, research institutions, industry and the public sector. This will be an excellent platform to strengthen collaboration and build knowledge a basis for industrial innovation.

Several EMINENT partners presented

Thomas Dahlgren, researcher at NORCE, presented his experience from several research expeditions in the Pacific. He highlighted the importance to learn from international experience, framework and standards.

Anders Tengberg from Xylem/Aanderaa gave examples of environmental monitoring from different ocean industries, while Ebbe Hartz from Aker BP highlighted the importance of data sharing.

About 100 attendees joint the seminar at the One Ocean Week arranged in collaboration by GCE Ocean Technology and the University of Bergen.

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