India ‘racing’ to get Pacific Ocean licences to scout for critical minerals used in EVs
- India plans to focus on a vast plain between Hawaii and Mexico known to hold large volumes of minerals used in electric vehicles and solar panels
India will apply for licences to explore for deep-sea minerals in the Pacific Ocean as it competes to secure supplies of minerals critical for energy transition technologies, a top government scientist said.
The UN-backed International Seabed Authority (ISA) has issued 31 deep-sea exploration licences, including two for India in the Indian Ocean, but is yet to allow mining because the 36-member body is still working on regulations.
The 36-member ISA council is meeting in Jamaica this month to negotiate the latest draft of a mining code.
M. Ravichandran, the top scientist at India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences, said his ministry will work closely with India’s mining industry as it readies to apply next year for exploration of seabed minerals in the Pacific.
India’s critical minerals plans in the Pacific have not been previously reported.
