Norway has suspended plans to start giving licences for deep-sea mining next year that had faced opposition from environment groups and international institutions, a party allied with the centre-left government said on Sunday.

Norway will not proceed with plans to conduct deep-sea mining, the SV party which supports the minority centre-left government said on Sunday, after it concluded negotiations over next year's budget with the coalition.

Norway had been set to be one of first countries to authorise seabed mining, arguing it did not want to rely on China for essential minerals.

The Norwegian government’s plans to open up for mining on the sea floor have been shelved as part of a deal to get its budget through parliament.

Norway will not proceed with plans to conduct deep-sea mining, the SV party which supports the minority centre-left government said on Sunday.

A small leftwing environmentalist political party in Norway succeeded on Sunday in blocking plans to mine the sea bed at the bottom of the Arctic, by demanding the government scrap its first licensing round in return for support for the budget.