How Could Trump's Deep Sea Mining Order Impact Energy?
Deep within the ocean, where sunlight barely reaches, lies a largely unexplored territory with immense potential for energy resources.
It is estimated that only 20% of the deep sea has been explored, leaving a vast majority untapped.
Among its riches are polymetallic nodules, which are abundant in minerals such as cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements — crucial components for the energy and technology industries.
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to increase deep sea mining and increase the country’s access to these minerals.
The order, titled Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources, was signed on April 24 2025.
It reads: “Our Nation must take immediate action to accelerate the responsible development of seabed mineral resources, quantify the Nation’s endowment of seabed minerals, reinvigorate American leadership in associated extraction and processing technologies and ensure secure supply chains for our defence, infrastructure and energy sectors.”
“These resources are key to strengthening our economy, securing our energy future and reducing dependence on foreign suppliers for critical minerals.”
What can these minerals be used for?
The minerals extracted from polymetallic nodules are pivotal to numerous sectors, including green technology, aerospace and healthcare.
Critical minerals like nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium are essential for manufacturing rechargeable batteries.
They are also foundational to grid-scale energy storage solutions, supporting the integration of intermittent renewable energy through advanced battery chemistries such as lithium-ion.
Essential metals like copper, germanium and rare earth elements are used in producing computer displays, wiring, fibre optics and night vision devices.
Additionally, these minerals contribute to construction and aerospace by being key materials in stainless steel and superalloy production.
In the realm of renewable energy, solar panels incorporate metals like copper and tellurium often mined from these nodules.
Even emerging technologies such as hydrogen energy rely on these elements, with nickel playing a crucial role in electrolysers used for green hydrogen production and fuel cell technologies.
Why are there concerns about deep sea mining?
The prospect of extracting these resources from the ocean’s depths raises significant environmental concerns.
The harvesting of these nodules could result in the destruction of fragile habitats.
Jeff Watters, Vice President for External Affairs at environmental group Ocean Conservancy, said in a statement: “Areas of the US seafloor where test mining took place over 50 years ago still haven’t fully recovered.
“The harm caused by deep-sea mining isn’t restricted to the ocean floor: it will impact the entire water column, top to bottom, and everyone and everything relying on it.
“Evidence tells us that areas targeted for deep-sea mining often overlap with important fisheries, raising serious concerns about the impacts on the country’s US$321bn fishing industry.”
Several countries, including the UK, Germany, France, and Sweden, have expressed support for a moratorium on deep sea mining until more research and regulation are available.
Corporate giants like Google, Samsung, and Volvo have committed to not sourcing seabed minerals.
Sian Owen, Executive Director of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, says: "Deep-sea mining presents major environmental, climate and economic risks, all for highly uncertain benefits.
"This is not a smart deal - it’s a gamble that would leave investors isolated on the wrong side of history."
Guo Jiakun, a Foreign Ministry Spokesperson for China, said that the area of seabed covered by this executive order “goes beyond the limit of national jurisdiction”.
“The legal status and the exploitation and exploration regime of the international seabed are universally recognised and followed through in international practice.”
China currently dominates the production of materials that can be found in polymetallic nodules.
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