End Mining in Repparfjord
January 2nd, 2026
Repparfjord in Finnmark, northern Norway, where Arctic waters meet Sámi reindeer grazing lands, is under serious threat. The revived Nussir mining project - now backed by Hartree Partners and Oaktree Capital - plans to extract copper ore and dump up to two million tons of waste into the fjord each year.
Though promoted as essential for the “green transition,” the project risks severe damage to marine life, including vital salmon spawning grounds, and threatens Sámi fishing and reindeer herding.
The fjord supports rich marine ecosystems, including vital salmon spawning grounds, and has sustained Sámi fishing and herding communities for generations. This is not only an ecologically sensitive landscape - it is a culturally living one, shaped by Indigenous stewardship long before the Norwegian state.
The Nussir project, originally developed by Nussir ASA and now acquired by Blue Moon Metals, a Canadian mining company, plans to extract copper ore from nearby mountains and dump up to 30 million tonnes of mining waste directly into the fjord over the project’s lifetime.
This method - submarine tailings disposal - is banned in most countries due to its devastating impacts on marine life. The waste would smother the seabed, contaminate waters relied on by Sámi sea fishers, and destroy habitat critical to salmon, cod, and other species.
Repparfjord is a protected salmon fjord that only recently began recovering from mine waste dumped during a short mining operation in the 1970s. The current project would be twenty times larger, raising fears of irreversible damage. On land, mining infrastructure would fragment reindeer migration routes, undermining Sámi pastoral practices that depend on open, connected landscapes. Noise, dust, and restricted access further erode the conditions needed for herding and cultural continuity.
Supporters frame the mine as essential to the “green transition,” citing copper’s role in renewable energy and electrification. For Sámi communities, this rhetoric masks a familiar pattern: Indigenous lands treated as sacrifice zones for profit and progress elsewhere. Despite sustained opposition and the refusal of free, prior, and informed consent by affected Sámi rights holders and the Sámi Parliament, the Norwegian government approved the project in 2019.
This case highlights ongoing structural marginalization of Indigenous voices in extractive decision-making.
Protecting Repparfjord means safeguarding both a fragile ecosystem and the survival of a culture deeply tied to this land.
Together with our ambassador Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen, we invite you to help amplify the voices of the Sámi people and protect Repparfjord by signing the petition against mining in the region. Even a small action can make a meaningful difference for the future of this ancestral land.
IMAGES BY Lovise Tokle Rannekleiv, Philippe Pernot