Norway has suspended plans to start giving licenses for deep-sea mining next year.
Norway had planned to become one of the world’s first countries to start handing out rights to tens of thousands of square kilometers (miles) of seabed.
But the small Socialist Left Party said it had blocked the move in return for supporting the minority government’s 2025 budget.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoer said it was only a postponement.
Parliament gave approval in January for allowing mining rights for some 280,000 square kilometers (108,000 square miles) of seabed.
The energy ministry later drew up a list of zones covering about 38 percent of this area in the Norwegian Sea and Greenland Sea that would be sold in 2025.
Norway had argued that it did not want to rely on China for minerals essential for renewable energy technology.
It believes there is copper, cobalt, zinc and rare earths in its continental shelf. All are needed for production of batteries, wind turbines, computers and mobile phones.
Deep-sea mining is controversial for its potential impact on vulnerable marine ecosystems. Environmentalists say there is a threat to the habitats of sea species and from potential noise and light pollution from the machinery used, plus a risk of chemical leaks.