The Metals Company and Swiss-based partner Allseas say they have successfully tested a pilot underwater nodule collection vehicle in the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of nearly 2,500 metres, Kallanish reports.

The collection vehicle was deployed from the surface vessel Hidden Gem and lowered to the ocean floor for testing at a depth of 2,470 m, marking the first time the collection vehicle had been subjected to ultra-deep temperatures and pressures, the companies say. It says a number of systems were tested while the collection vehicle travelled about 1 kilometre on the ocean floor.

It was the initial deep-water test for the nodule collection system that had previously been through wet-testing and shallow-water trials. The Canada-based Metals Company is planning to a trial on the ocean bottom in the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii where it wants to mine fist-sized nodules of nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese.

“The pilot nodule collection system is so far performing beautifully throughout these trials and getting the collector vehicle into the deep water in the Atlantic has given the team the opportunity to really pressure-test critical components,” says Gerard Barron, ceo and chairman of The Metals Company.

The Metals Company is working with Epsilon Carbon to complete a pre-feasibility study for a commercial-scale nodule processing plant in India, beginning in Q4 2024. The plant would produce more than 30,000 tonnes/year of an intermediate nickel-copper-cobalt matte product used for active cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries and more than 750,000 t/y of manganese silicate to be used in steel.

The deal is dependent on The Metals Company getting approval from the UN’s International Seabed Authority to mine the nodules. The agency is aiming to complete first-ever regulations on ocean-floor mining by July 2023. Critics warn such mining may create environmental problems.