Tuesday 26 July 2022

Race to the bottom: Will we start deep sea mining?

Race to the bottom: Will we start deep sea mining?

The government is reportedly exploring plans to mine Wales' seabed to extract key metals for certain industries and put an end to the reliance on Chinese imports.

Ministers have briefed The Telegraph that they are looking at "the risk and potential for environmentally responsible extraction of minerals from coastal waters".

It has been reported that there will be a "national-scale evaluation" of the country's materials' reserves for batteries, electronics and mobile phones.

The Crown Estate awards rights for the extraction of aggregates and minerals off the coastal areas around England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Currently, battery manufacturers scramble to find efficient supplies of cobalt, nickel and other metals to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs).

Last week, a rare earth processing hub opened in the Humber Freeport in Hull, the plant is believed to become the world's first rare earth processing facility powered by offshore wind.

ELN has approached BEIS for a response.

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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