Europe must be prepared to support deep-sea mining if it is to secure metals crucial to making the transition to clean energy, the new Norwegian owner of British industry hopeful UK Seabed Resources has warned.
Hans Olav Hide, chair of Norway’s Loke Marine Minerals, said the controversial practice could help the UK and EU compete in the face of China’s dominance of battery metal supply chains.
“Marine minerals are a very clear response to the geopolitical scene,” Hide said, referring to western governments’ focus on energy security since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “People are realising we need to get away from . . . China covering everything.”