India Charts Deep Sea Mining Roadmap to Secure Critical Minerals
India hosted a workshop on deep sea mining to boost critical mineral security, showcasing indigenous tech and vast seabed reserves.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), with support from NITI Aayog and EY, held an industry outreach workshop in New Delhi focused on deep sea mining's business potential and strategic significance. The event gathered policymakers, regulators, researchers, and financial leaders to discuss India's role in the emerging Blue Economy.
Deep sea mining is seen as crucial for securing supplies of critical minerals like nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese, which are essential for clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and electric mobility. India holds an exploration contract with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) covering 75,000 sq km in the Central Indian Ocean Basin, estimated to contain up to 380 million tonnes of polymetallic nodules. India is also the first nation to hold two contracts for polymetallic sulphides, including one for the Carlsberg Ridge.
Under the ₹4,077 crore Deep Ocean Mission, NIOT has demonstrated indigenous crawler systems operating at depths beyond 5,000 metres in the Indian Ocean. The workshop aimed to bridge scientific capability with private investment, laying groundwork for policy frameworks and a forthcoming White Paper on deep sea mining. Commercial extraction in international waters can only begin once the ISA finalises its Exploitation Code.