DeepGreen to study environmental impact of ocean-floor battery metal collection
Mid-week preview
Vancouver-based battery metals start-up DeepGreen Metals is partnering with research institutions and universities to explore the potential impact of harvesting polymetallic nodules from the floor of the Pacific Ocean.
According to a company release seen by Power Materials, DeepGreen is investing $60 million “to accelerate a massive collaborative program to address outstanding questions on the potential environmental impacts of collecting polymetallic nodules from the deep seabed in the Pacific Ocean.”
The target area will be the Clarion Clipperton Zone, a 1.7 million square-mile area between Mexico and Hawaii. Target metals include nickel, copper, manganese and cobalt.
Collaborating entities include the UK National Oceanography Centre, London’s Natural History Museum, University of Gothenburg, University of Leeds, Heriot-Watt University, the Lyell Centre, Florida State University, University of Hawaii, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, and Texas A&M.
"This is a collaboration of the best minds in ocean science coming together to answer many important questions about deep-sea ecosystem function and connectivity throughout the water column," said DeepGreen chief ocean scientist Dr. Greg Stone. "The program will enable DeepGreen to put forward a rigorous, peer-reviewed environmental impact statement to the International Seabed Authority, setting a high bar for this new industry."
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