Growing demand for critical minerals used in electric vehicles, battery storage systems and renewable energy technologies is renewing interest in deep-sea mining, while debate continues over how to balance energy transition needs with protection of ocean ecosystems.
According to information compiled by Anadolu for World Oceans Day on June 8, deep-sea mining involves extracting mineral deposits located between roughly 400 meters and 6.5 kilometers below sea level.
Activities are primarily focused on polymetallic nodules containing nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese, as well as cobalt-rich crusts and polymetallic sulfide deposits containing copper, zinc, silver and gold.
Although commercial deep-sea mining has yet to begin, countries have intensified efforts in recent years to establish regulatory frameworks for the sector.
The US has accelerated permitting processes as part of efforts to strengthen critical mineral supply security, while The Metals Company (TMC), which aims to recover mineral-rich polymetallic nodules from the seabed, has advanced through key regulatory stages toward potential commercial production.
At the same time, negotiations on rules governing mining activities in international waters remain unresolved, while a growing number of countries and environmental groups continue to call for a moratorium until environmental uncertainties are better understood.
Scientists warn that deep-sea mining could result in habitat loss, biodiversity decline and long-lasting impacts on marine ecosystems. Questions also remain over how such activities could affect the ocean's carbon storage function, which plays an important role in mitigating climate change.
- Potential is significant, but challenges remain
Mineral resources found on the deep seabed represent a substantial potential source of critical minerals, Sait Uysal, founder of Turkish Critical Minerals Initiative, told Anadolu.
He noted that polymetallic nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean contain significant concentrations of nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese, and that studies by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) y and various companies point to vast resource potential in the area.
However, Uysal said major technical and economic hurdles remain.
"Extracting minerals from thousands of meters below the ocean surface and transporting them to shore requires significant technological investment and high costs," he added.
- Environmental uncertainties remain unresolved
According to Uysal, the environmental consequences of deep-sea mining remain one of the sector's most contentious issues, largely because deep-sea ecosystems are still poorly understood.
He said existing studies point to risks including habitat destruction, biodiversity loss and sediment plumes spreading across large areas of the ocean floor. While some researchers argue the environmental impacts could be severe and irreversible, others believe they might be less significant than those associated with certain forms of land-based mining.
"Concerns persist that deep-sea mining could cause severe and irreversible damage to some of the ocean's most fragile ecosystems," Uysal said.
He also noted that the absence of a fully developed international regulatory framework adds to uncertainty and could complicate oversight of future offshore operations.
Uysal said deep-sea mining should not currently be viewed as an essential solution for critical mineral supply security.
While he sees limited economic viability under current market conditions, he said the sector could hold strategic value for countries such as Japan, which has limited domestic mineral resources and seeks to reduce dependence on imports of critical raw materials.
He added that unless metal prices rise sharply and remain elevated for an extended period, large-scale commercial production is unlikely to become economically attractive within the next five to ten years.
- Türkiye could offer viable alternative to deep-sea mining
Uysal argued that existing land-based mineral resources remain sufficient to meet expected demand in the foreseeable future and that greater attention should be paid to developing those resources.
He said Türkiye's geological history may provide an alternative pathway, noting that some manganese deposits in Anatolia share characteristics with mineral formations found on the deep seabed and may also contain nickel and cobalt.
"Türkiye has the potential to offer an alternative to deep-sea mining," Uysal said.
Rather than pursuing costly extraction projects in waters thousands of meters deep, Uysal said greater focus should be placed on evaluating and developing Türkiye's existing mineral potential under more controllable economic and environmental conditions.
By Duygu Alhan
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr
