The Metals Company USA (TMC USA), a subsidiary of the Metals Company, has submitted applications for a commercial recovery permit and two exploration licences under the US seabed mining code.
These applications follow the Executive Order signed by President Donald Trump last week to expedite the exploration and development of seabed minerals.
The applications were submitted under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) implementing regulations that comprise the US seabed mining code.
The Metals Company Chairman and CEO Gerard Barron said: “With these applications, we are offering the United States a shovel-ready path to new and abundant supplies of nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese – critical metals for energy, infrastructure and defence.
“After continuous delay at the international level, the United States now has a clear opportunity to reclaim its leadership role in the deep sea and set a global standard for responsible, science-based deep-seabed resource development.”
The proposed mining area for the commercial recovery, TMC USA-A_2, spans more than 25,160km² in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), approximately 1,300 nautical miles south of San Diego.
The TMC USA-A and USA-B exploration areas are estimated to hold SEC SK 1300-compliant resources totalling 1,635 million wet tonnes of polymetallic nodules, along with an estimated additional 500 million tonnes (mt) of potential exploration upside based on internal assessments.
In total, these resources are estimated to contain approximately 15.5mt of nickel, 12.8mt of copper, 2mt of cobalt and 345mt of manganese.
The NOAA will review TMC USA’s applications, with initial determinations on exploration licences due within 30 days and on the commercial recovery permit within 60 days. This will be followed by comprehensive environmental and technical evaluations.
Barron added: “We have invested over a half a billion dollars and have spent more than a decade preparing for this moment, investing in deep-sea science, engineering and technology to build the world’s most advanced deep-sea minerals platform.
“With strong support from Washington and a stable, enforceable US regulatory pathway, we look forward to delivering the world’s first commercial nodule project – responsibly, transparently and economically – and to helping power a new era of American industrial strength.”
