Repparfjorden

As of 21 August 2025, the municipality is still allowing construction on the mining site.^[2]^[3] However, in October 2025, the municipal council is supposed to vote on, whether to continue to allow construction on the mining site, or not.^[2] Protests are ongoing.

Earlier (20 August), the municipality's administration did case work, in regard to if Sami (indigenous) rights had been heard.^[2] New case work was supposed [to have] started (18 August 2025).^[4]

The project goes against Water Framework Directive;^[5] Norway has to follow laws that (also) apply to the European Economic Area. Furthermore, indigenous rights under Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), are being violated by the government.^[6]

Building an ['access tunnel'] adkomsttunnel into the mine, is going on without formal permits; the police are not showing any such permit; no permit has been made public; however, both the company Nussir, and the municipality, claims that a permit exists.^[5]

Blockades in front of the entrance to the access tunnel, have been started (as late as September 2025);^[7]^[8] arrests have been made.

Earlier, a two-week^[3] pause in construction, that started in June, ended. The municipality [had] ordered a pause in construction of the copper mine; the permit for construction, [was] not complete (as of the end of June).^[9] As late as Q3 2025, activists have protested on the construction site; On at least one night, 30 activists had gained access to the construction site; The following day activists were arrested and transported [to police station].^[10]^[11] As a result, there have been days when construction operations were stopped.^[12]^[3] On 31 July, an owner of a reindeer herd, was arrested while protesting on a construction site, something that has not happened for decades, according to media; a number of activists were arrested and taken away by police.^[13] On 1 August, construction workers could not use explosives for their construction work, because activists have set up camp above the site where an explosive blast was supposed to be set off; No explosive blasts are permitted when there are people or reindeer within the safety zone.^[14]^[15] 20 activists have set up camp on the mountain, but outside [ the exclusion zone] (forbudssone).^[16]

Later that month, police had to rappel down to an area on top of where an access tunnel has been started; one activist was removed from that part of the mountainside;^[17] planned explosions have been held up; a ton of explosives has been placed at the beginning of the entrance for an access tunnel.^[18] An [intentional] detonation happened on 7 August, according to one source.^[19]

Later that month, at least one well-known activist had chained herself [to the construction site or] on site.^[20] She and two other protesters were arrested, transported off the premises, and fined.^[21]

Later that month, 5 protesters were removed (by police); Activists had during the night, made a structure (of lumber) in the middle of a road (that was used by construction workers), to get to a shed where explosives are stored; Removal of activists that were chained to that tower structure in the middle of the road, was done with the help of a crew with a fire engine.^[22]^[23]

Later that month, the Sámi Parliament said that ['the Sami Law'] Sameloven, a Norwegian law, has been broken by the municipal government; [the law] says that the municipality has a duty to consult with representatives of the Sami interests, that are directly affected (by the measures) [, the construction work].^[4]

Later that month, 4 protesters were removed (by police); Activists had made a structure (of timber) in the middle of a road; One activist sat on top of the structure; That activist has also been protesting at Førdefjorden, against ocean dumping there.^[24]^[25]

In September 2025, a blockade of the entrance to Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, was started by more than 30 protesters, including one well-known activist; they have chained themselves on site, in Oslo; the protests are supposed to continue until the Minister of Trade and Industries meets the protesters and listens to their point of view.^[26]

Protesters are still being arrested (by police) at the construction site in Repparfjorden, as of October 2025; those protesters are taken away by police.^[27]

The government has not (as of 31 July 2025) made public, what any (government) permits, might be saying about the mining company's plan for operations;^[28] the government's justification for approving the mine, has never been made public.

Fines given in relation to protesting, are as high Norwegian kroner 8,000^[29] and 10,000.^[30] Some individuals have been fined, repeatedly; One protester is a politician from Harstad, and his fines have a total of 50,000 to 80,000 Norwegian kroner, according to media.^[31]

Less than 80 people have been fined (as of 11 September); Fines have been given, totalling over Norwegian kroner 800,000; Many^[32] have refused to accept their fine, and those case are handed over to the [lower] court system.

Permit for ocean dumping of waste, when copper mine starts operating

As of 2015, the municipal and national authorities have made plans to dump up to two million tons of tailings into the fjord annually for fifteen years; the tailings are supposed to come from a copper mine that is under construction (as of Q3 2025).^[33]^[34]

Nussir ASA is developing a copper mine.The mine's tailing will be poured into the fjord over 20 years, totaling 30 million metric tonnes of hazardous mining tailings.Repparfjorden, is designated as a "national salmon fjord" for wild salmon and, as such, should be legally protected. Previous experiences with subsurface tailing deposits harmed ecosystems and the local economy. ^[35]

Political conflict

The conflict between Nussir and the Sámi Parliament, with other stakeholders such as the Norwegian Government's involvement, began in 2014.^[36] It is categorized as a mineral ores and building materials extraction conflict within Kvalsund Municipality (which became part of Hammerfest Municipality in 2020). The Norwegian Government and Nussir maintain that the mining is sustainable and necessary for environmental advances, yet the Sámi population and other environmental organizations fear destruction of marine and terrestrial environments. The Sámi also claim that the mine will disrupt their traditional lifestyle and destroy the grazing grounds of their reindeer. Reindeer husbandry is the main source of sustenance and income for many Sámi and without it, the consequences will be detrimental to Sámi life and culture. The conflict is of medium intensity, with visible mobilization and street protests present. In 2021, the Sámi camped in tents for two months where the mountain meets the fjord.^[37]

Ecological conflict

The ecological conflict is categorized as wetlands and coastal zones management issues. The Repparfjord is classified as a National Salmon Fjord because of its Atlantic salmon spawning grounds.^[38] The concern is that the Nussir operation will destroy the ecosystems within the fjord, which many of the locals are heavily dependent on. This conflict is considered to be ongoing.

Stakeholders in the conflict

Sámi Parliament

Sámi Parliament is a cultural council in strong opposition to the decision to allow mining and dumping of waste in the Repparfjord. Their concerns are primarily that of preserving the way of life of the Sámi people. More specifically, they warn of "very extensive and negative consequences for fisheries, reindeer herders and the environment".^[39] The Sámi people make their living off of reindeer husbandry and fishing, and fear that the Nussir mining operation will destroy the ecosystem needed to cultivate their livelihood. A main concern of the Sámi people is the destruction of the salmon fjord. However, it is difficult to contest because of the Norwegian government's support of Nussir ASA.

Nussir

Nussir ASA is a mining company with financial holding in the extraction of ores. The company seeks to extract 50,000 tonnes of copper ore annually. Nussir plans to extract the copper through two sub-surface mining deposits located at Nussir and Ulveryggen in Reppardfjord, the homeplace of the Sámi people. Nussir ASA legally has permission to dump two million tonnes of waste into Repparfjord each year. This waste is often referred to as tailings. The waste is mostly composed of excess rock with traces of copper and nickel. Despite the large amounts of waste, Nussir claims to be the supplier of "one of the World's cleanest copper ores" and "environmentally friendly," according to their website.^[40] Nussir is supported by the Norwegian government, which boasts a 98% renewable energy grid, due to copper, which is Nussir's main export.^[41]

Environmental justice issues

A copper mine in Arctic Norway threatens to contaminate a fjord used by Sámi fishermen and disrupt Native reindeer calving areas. Nonetheless, not everyone is opposed to it. According to Nussir's environmental impact report, the mining tailings will have a "little adverse impact" on the coastal habitat. According to the report, the coagulation process will cause high concentrations of dangerous materials to accumulate around the discharge location on the bottom, affecting just a small portion of the fjord. According to Van der Meern, it would only take one unpredictable weather event, such as an inundated river or high winds, which are growing more frequent as the climate changes, to send the dangerous material to the surface, north to the Barents Sea, and beyond. ^[42]

Financing of the mining project

Media said (August 2025), that the owner of the mine, has a letter of intent in regard to financing; The owner of Nussir (company), is Blue Moon Metals; Hartree/Oaktree^[43]

Outcome

Environmentalists, on the other hand, claim that dumping at sea is done because it is the cheapest possible method, despite the fact that's it is damaging to the marine ecosystem. Norway is one of just four nations in the world that allows the mining sector to dump tailings in fjords, the others being Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Turkey. "The mine in Kvalsund, where tens of millions of tons of waste will be dumped in the Repparfjord, will be a disaster for the fjord, the fish, and reindeer herding," says Gaute Eiterjord, director of Nature and Youth, one of the groups organized to direct actions and peaceful protests to against the mining plans. The government and the corporation do not listen to the community's right-bearers, nor do they consider reindeer pastoralism seriously. The projected negative effects will be borne by present consumers of natural resources, particularly Sámi reindeer herders and fishermen. ^[44]

Conflict about mine construction and future operation