#mining minerals

The proposal designates 386 blocks in Norwegian waters between Svalbard, Iceland and the Norwegian mainland. 

The blocks are contained in a 280,000 square kilometer area which was designated open for exploration of minerals on the continental shelf earlier in 2024. 

The initial auction will cover around 38 percent of the total area. 

“The world needs minerals for the green transition, and the government wants to explore if it is possible to extract seabed minerals in a sustainable manner from the Norwegian continental shelf,” the Ministry of Energy Terje Aasland stated along with the announcement. 

“This marks a significant blow to Norway’s reputation as a responsible steward of the oceans,” said Karoline Andaur, CEO of WWF-Norway.

She also cautioned that once licenses have been auctioned off it will be nearly impossible to stop the eventual exploration in those areas.

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NASA IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FROM PRIVATE COMPANIES TO MINE THE MOON

In what can be considered giant leap towards mining minerals from the moon, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has began accepting applications from potential business partners interested in mining the moon. The move, part of a plan unveiled in January, aims to find private financing to help its experts design and build lunar prospecting robots, the first major step required to explore Earth’s natural satellite for valuable resources. Unlike some loaded business figures who have set up their own space mining endeavours, NASA only counts on a budget set by the US government, which has refused to provide any further funding for the so called Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (Lunar CATALYST) initiative. In a teleconference late last month, Jason Crusan, director of NASA's advanced exploration systems, said business partners could support commercial activities on the moon while enabling new science and exploration missions of interest to NASA and the larger scientific and academic communities. Experts claim space mining is a necessity as many metals that underpin our modern economy are quickly being depleted. Without any new technological advances, metals like zinc and gold are expected to run out in 100 years, they claim. But the road ahead doesn’t look easy. In fact, a study from Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics published last month highlights just how problematic this space mining/travelling business could be.

by: Cecilia Jamasmie

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