US permitting NOAA

Betting the deep as polymetallic nodules emerge as a billion dollar play to fuel batteries steelmaking and the critical minerals transition

It takes a certain type of confidence to suggest the future of clean energy metals might lie four kilometres below the Pacific Ocean – confidence, and perhaps a streak of stubbornness.

By Jamie Wade on March 7, 2026
ESG, Environmental Impact Assessments, Regulatory Adherence, Sustainable Practices, Extraction, Mineral Extraction, Resource Sustainability, Reserve Estimation, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Collaboration with Research Institutions, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages
North America, United States, Oceania, Asia, Indonesia, Japan
Copper, Nickel, Manganese, Cobalt, Base Metals