Deep-sea mining experts doubt the billion-dollar dream is viable
Engineers and investors question if extreme ocean depths and technical costs make deep-sea nodule mining profitable.
Polymetallic nodules sit 4 kilometres under the Pacific and are rich in nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese, metals needed for phone and car batteries. Billions have been poured into exploration.
Deep-sea experts who have worked at these depths doubt it will work. The problem is extreme pressure.
It makes every piece of machinery hundreds of times more expensive to build and operate. A prototype test in 2022 lifted more than 3,000 tonnes to the surface.
The company predicted 1.5 million tonnes annually. Repair costs at depth are huge.
A lost collector vehicle must be hauled back from 4,500 metres. Meanwhile, battery chemistry is changing.
About half of new electric vehicle batteries no longer need nickel or cobalt. Demand may not be there.
- 4 kilometres
- Nodule depth
- Nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese
- Key metals
Why it mattersIf deep-sea mining fails, years of investment vanish. Critical mineral supply plans collapse. If it works, it reshapes global supply chains.
AustraliaAustralia exports critical minerals but doesn't yet rely on seabed mining. A viable deep-sea industry could reshape global mineral markets and Australia's export advantage.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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