State Can Act on Nussir Sale

The Tromsø / Finnmark news from the last 48 hours has been dominated by the Nussir case, supply security for Northern Norway’s industry and the prolonged closure of a county road in Målselv. The Minister of Trade and Industry, Cecilie Myrseth (Ap), confirmed on Thursday that the state has the tools to block the sale of the mining group, while the Fredriksberg/Sagbekken road remains closed until the beginning of next year.

Tromsø / Finnmark News: Nussir, the Government Says It Can Halt the Sale

Cecilie Myrseth (Ap) said the government has “absolutely the ability” to stop the ACG Metals consortium’s takeover of the Nussir mining group in Kvalsund (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark). “If information were to indicate that the sale should be stopped, then we can and want to do so. We have the tools to do that. But to date, we do not have the information that would make this appropriate,” she said.

The case took on a national dimension because of the buyer’s profile: ACG Metals is led by British-Russian businessman Artem Volynets, who became associated with the Russian business world after claiming himself to have severed those ties in 2013 (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark). The Centre Party (Sp) and Høyre asked the minister to explain herself before the Storting; the MDG called for an immediate halt to the deal. Myrseth said she had herself requested to inform Parliament and stressed the need for more mining activity and investment in mineral extraction, with strict safety and preparedness requirements. The purchase process is already underway and, according to the planned schedule, must be carried through to completion.

Supply security: Northern industry questions its obligations

On Thursday, Industry Day 2026 was held at Furuflaten Industripark (FIPAS) in the municipality of Lyngen (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark). The central theme: preparedness and security, and how industry will react if the supply chain is disrupted in the north.

Among the participants was DryTech, a Tromsø-based company that produces, among other things, freeze-dried foods. Its representative Jan Trondsen describes an uncertain situation: “We do everything we can in a way, and we try to establish plans for what might happen to us. At the same time, it is difficult as a private actor. We see that there are unclear questions about the degree of robustness required.”

Minister Cecilie Myrseth reiterated that the objective in the event of war or crisis is for society to continue functioning as normally as possible (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark). These discussions illustrate a growing debate in the former county of Troms og Finnmark — dissolved on 1 January 2024 and replaced by the counties of Troms and Finnmark — about the role of private actors.

Mobility: County road closed until the beginning of next year in Målselv

In terms of mobility, another aspect of these Tromsø / Finnmark news stories, county road 854 in Målselv remains closed until the beginning of next year (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark). A rapid clay slide (kvikkleire) swept away part of the road surface on Monday 9 November, near Fredriksberg/Sagbekken. Rapid clay has been identified on both sides of the road, in an area already known for this risk: thorough geotechnical assessments are needed before any groundworks can resume.

Troms county has engaged the consultancy Multiconsult to calculate the stability of the area and design the reconstruction, with the goal of a more robust road surface. “The work is substantial, and it will take time before reconstruction can begin,” says a county official. In Austertana, Finnmark, the road passing a landslide site is now open twice a day, in convoys. Ruth Eli Sør-Reime has chosen to move temporarily to the other side of the landslide to avoid these escorted journeys and the uncertainty over the timetable (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

Tromsø: No breach of the law, according to the committee; Airbnb announces legal action

The Tromsø employers’ committee concluded, in an email sent on Thursday evening, that no breach of the workplace environment law had been established in the whistleblower case involving the municipal leadership (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark). The committee says it will hold a new meeting in the near future, without specifying the date.

On tourist accommodation, the Airbnb platform says it intends to take legal action against the municipality of Tromsø, considering it “unable to say where the line lies” in its regulations (Nordlys, 12 November). The local press also reports that a business connected to tourism and reindeer herding has been ordered to cease operations (iTromsø, 12 November).

📌 Local briefs

A man in his sixties, registered in Tromsø, was sentenced by the Nord-Troms og Senja court to 75 days in prison for refusing to give way and causing the fatal accident in which a 17-year-old boy died in summer 2025 (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

An elderly man was stopped while driving a small car without a licence while under the influence of cannabis (iFinnmark, 13 November). A sick passenger had to travel on a pallet among the cars, prompting calls for an explanation (iFinnmark, 13 November). An angry customer at a nightclub required intervention (Nordlys). Snow production at the alpine park has not yet been able to begin (Nordlys).

Sources: NRK Tromsø / Finnmark, Nordlys, iTromsø, iFinnmark, The Local Norway — Period: 12 November 2026 and 13 November 2026