The Metals Company to Acquire International Permit for Deep Sea Mining under New Law

The Metals Company (TMC), a prominent seabed-mining company seeks permit for international Deep Sea Mining under the new legislation.

The Metals Company became the first deep-sea miner to apply for Washington's permission to mine the international seabed on Thursday, following the implementation of a simplified permitting procedure earlier this week.

Large amounts of the minerals required for electric vehicles and the energy transition may be obtained through deep-sea mining, but licenses have not been granted due to decades of discussion over potential environmental harm.

This week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) finalized a rule in response to President Donald Trump's executive order to enhance the US deep-sea mining sector and offset China's dominance in essential metals. According to a government press release, the new legislation combines the licensing and permitting steps into a single, more efficient assessment process.

Gerard Baron, CEO of The Metals Company stated that, the new rule represents a meaningful modernization of the US regulatory framework for deep seabed nodule collection and it acknowledges the important advances the industry has made since the US regime was first established.

The Metals Co. resubmitted an application it had submitted in April of last year to operate in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a region of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico, in accordance with the new regulations. According to the business, there are an estimated 800 million metric tons of rocks known as polymetallic nodules that are packed with vital minerals like nickel, copper, cobalt, and manganese in two zones where The Metals Co. has applied to operate.

According to The Metals Co. and other proponents, deep-sea mining would reduce the need for massive onshore mining operations, which are frequently unpopular with host communities.

However, the Trump administration is encouraging US corporations to explore the deep sea by speeding up permitting for critical mineral extraction in international waters. This move is sure to spark legal and environmental disputes.  And the Environmental groups have already called for the activity to be stopped, warning that industrial operations on the ocean floor could result in irrevocable biodiversity loss.