This report presents a comprehensive review of Norway’s approach to securing a stable and sustainable supply of critical minerals, undertaken by the International Energy Agency (IEA) alongside peer experts from Spain and Finland. The review team visited Norway in November 2025, engaging extensively with government officials, private sector stakeholders and representatives across the entire critical minerals value chain. The primary objective was to assess the effectiveness of Norway’s policy frameworks, operational challenges and strategic ambitions in relation to national and international critical minerals supply, with a particular focus on governance, co‑operation and innovation.

The review team’s analysis covered Norway’s end-to-end approach, encompassing exploration, extraction, refining, recycling and downstream integration into advanced industries. The country’s innovation ecosystem is marked by significant investments in areas such as mine tailings management, brownfield redevelopment and battery recycling facilities. Norway’s regulatory environment, while robust, presents certain challenges – particularly in the complexity and length of permitting processes – which have implications for timely resource development and investment attraction.

Norway occupies a vital position within the European and global critical minerals supply chain. The country is endowed with significant geological resources and has developed expertise in mining, processing, recycling and trade of minerals essential to emerging clean energy and digital technologies. As the demand for minerals such as cobalt, lithium and rare earth elements accelerates – driven by the growth of batteries for electric vehicles, renewable energy infrastructure and advanced manufacturing – Norway’s role as a supplier becomes increasingly important for domestic, European and international markets. The review highlights Norway’s efforts in advancing these sectors, including investments in mine tailings management, brownfield redevelopment and battery recycling facilities.

Norway has demonstrated a commitment to aligning its critical minerals development with broader climate and environmental objectives. Efforts to protect local communities and natural habitats are central to policy considerations, and ongoing stakeholder engagement has been prioritised to ensure that projects are socially acceptable and environmentally sound.

While Norway does not currently have a dedicated policy document specifically for critical minerals, the government has implemented a suite of policies aimed at securing supply, setting clear priorities, and monitoring progress across ministries and agencies. The review highlights the importance of coherent governance and cross-sectoral co‑operation as essential pillars for the effective management and implementation of national mineral strategies. Norway’s alignment with the European Union (EU), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and United States critical minerals lists ensures coherence with international standards and positions the country as a reliable partner for European and global supply chains.

The IEA review identifies several areas of strength in Norway’s approach. These include its substantial geological potential, its advanced innovation and recycling sectors, and its active participation in European policy frameworks. Furthermore, the country’s ambitions to advance battery technology, promote electric vehicle adoption and support the circular economy are noted as forward-looking and promising. However, the review also points to areas requiring attention, such as simplifying and expediting permitting procedures, increasing public funding and risk-sharing for mining and processing projects, and setting explicit economic targets and milestones for the sector.

The review concludes that Norway stands at a strategic crossroads. Decisive policy action, targeted investment in innovation, and enhanced stakeholder collaboration will be critical for Norway to secure its position as a leader in sustainable critical minerals supply. By continuing to align development with environmental and social objectives, and by strengthening governance and cross-sectoral cooperation, Norway can support both its national economy and the broader transition to clean energy and digital technologies across Europe and beyond. In summary, Norway’s critical minerals sector is well-positioned to support the clean energy transition and industrial growth. By addressing the identified challenges and capitalising on its strengths, Norway can play a pivotal role in securing the mineral resources required for Europe’s green and digital future.

Norway has developed specialised expertise through over fifty years of continental shelf exploration. As a result, the nation supports knowledge- based and sustainable ocean management. With substantial experience and robust frameworks for ocean-based resources, Norway is well-positioned to pursue seabed mining opportunities responsibly. The Norwegian government demonstrates careful consideration of potential seabed mineral activities and maintains rigorous emissions and environmental standards.

The review team recommends Norway to:

1. Define the expected role of the critical minerals sector in Norway's national economy, together with explicit targets and milestones as well as instruments to achieve these objectives.

2. Consider introducing solutions to the currently complex and time-consuming permitting process for critical minerals projects. These could include leveraging the expertise of public institutions in supporting local communities in the land-use planning process, introducing time limits for resolving permitting applications and judicial appeals.

3. Advance seabed mining opportunities for critical minerals supply throughout the broad exploration phase, applying robust environmental safeguards, before making a final decision on commencing the production phase when politically and technologically confirmed.

4. Aim at strengthening the mineral mining and processing industries in Norway through increasing available funding especially at pilot, scale-up and commercialisation stages and consider sharing risk with investors. Consider introducing extended commercialisation periods for critical minerals projects in terms of public financing eligibility and reporting, to increase investors’ interest.

5. Work towards having a centralised overall view of the critical mineral data flows for the country and accelerate geophysical mapping coverage of the mainland. Consider designing a more structured approach to identifying key data and the timeline needed by the administration so that the statistics programme and relevant inter‑institutional exchanges can be adapted accordingly.

6. Undertake targeted actions towards defining the role Norway seeks to play in the global critical minerals supply chain as a producer and a strong promoter of environmental, social and governance (ESG) standardised supply of critical minerals to make clean transitions truly sustainable.

7. Set quantitative and ratio targets for mineral recycling and secondary supply value chain to add to an extensive Norwegian circular economy priority and create value within a sustainable business framework.

8. Conduct a broad and targeted information campaign among the Norwegian public to raise awareness of the role that critical minerals play in the energy transition and modern technologies in strategic sectors such as energy, high-tech and defence to gain greater public acceptance for critical minerals projects.