Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoer called Sunday’s development a “setback” and said preparatory work on regulations and environmental impact would continue.
Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle of Greenpeace Norway said the pause was a “big victory”.
“It was really embarrassing to watch Norway position itself as an ocean leader, planning to give the green light to the destruction of the ocean in its own waters.”
The Ministry of Energy of the country has not yet commented.
Norway became the first country in the world to advance commercial deep-sea mining when it approved the plans in January.
The deep sea is home to minerals such as lithium, scandium and cobalt, which are critical to environmental technologies.
Although the metals are available on land, they are concentrated in a small number of countries, increasing the risk to supply.
Oslo has said it does not want to rely on China for such materials, stressing that it will start issuing licenses only after further environmental studies have been carried out.
The move has put Norway at odds with the EU and Britain, which have called for a temporary ban on the practice over concerns about environmental damage.
More than 100 EU lawmakers called on Oslo to abandon the project, citing risks “to marine biodiversity and accelerating climate change.”
The country’s Institute of Marine Research has criticized government studies into the environmental impact of the move, saying another five to ten years of work is needed.
This was reported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Norway in the statement, external last week she sued the government over the plans.
At least three Norwegian seabed mining startups have said they will participate in the first round of licensing.
On Monday, one of the startups, Green Minerals, said it expected delays of up to a year after plans were suspended.
