Norway’s government is gearing up to establish itself as a frontrunner in deep-sea mining, with plans to open an oceanic area nearly the size of Germany to extract essential battery metals from its sea floor.
The move comes as companies and nations shift their attention to the mineral-rich ocean floor, a valuable source of materials for smartphones and electric vehicles.
Most minerals are found in potato-sized rocks called polymetallic nodules, which are rich in cobalt, nickel, and other valuable metals.
The International Seabed Authority, an arm of the United Nations, has a deadline of July 9 to put together regulation before deep-sea mining begins following a clause triggered by the Pacific Island of Nauru in 2021.