FAQs – Page 20 – Impossible Metals

Q: D.3 When will your technology be ready for commercial mining operations?

Our technology will be ready for commercial mining operations by 2027. As of mid-2025, we are in the final stages of testing and validation, ensuring our systems meet all performance requirements. We also engage with potential customers to align our development with market needs and expectations. We have also completed the design of Eureka III, the full-size production system.

Q: G.4 What technical risks do competing dredging tractor and riser systems still have to mitigate?

A number of companies have conducted dredging tractor and riser system deep sea trials; however, the ship-to-ship transfer of the nodules has not been tested. The ship-to-ship transfer of the nodules in the ocean is complex and will likely require very specialized transport ships, including dynamic positioning (DP) and dewatering technology. This article includes more details on this topic.

Q: D.2 What technical risks does Impossible Metals still have to mitigate?

Our primary technical risks include ensuring the durability and resilience of our robots in harsh underwater conditions, refining our AI algorithms for optimal target identification and resource recovery, and maintaining reliable communication systems between our robots and surface operations. We are actively working on mitigating these risks through rigorous testing, continuous improvement, and strategic partnerships with leading technology providers.

Q: B.17 NGOs cite that many countries and companies have signed up for a moratorium, pause, or ban. What is Impossible Metals' view on this?

A number of countries are listed as having signed up for a moratorium, pause, or ban. Although these countries may have made public statements, the vast majority have not passed legislation. In fact, these countries have signed UNCLOS, which legally commits them to deep sea mining regulated by the ISA. Some of these countries have sponsored exploration applications. If they legally supported a moratorium, pause, or ban, they would be in violation of their legal obligations and could lose their exploration areas. A number of companies are listed as having signed up for a moratorium, pause, or ban. The wording says, “Before any potential deep seabed mining occurs, it needs to be clearly demonstrated that such activities can be managed in a way that ensures the effective protection of the marine environment.” This is the purpose of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) , which must be approved by the regulator before any mining can start. After a regulator approves an exploitation application, the EIA will provide for protecting the marine environment. So, any companies that have signed the moratorium will be free to purchase deep sea minerals. See this blog post for more information.

Q: B.16 What is Impossible Metals’ stance on calls for a deep sea mining moratorium, pause or ban?

We want the environmental bar to be set high and for the industry to innovate to reach it. A ban would stop innovation and remove significant funding for scientific research. It is well established that we will need a lot of critical minerals for the energy transition away from fossil fuels (e.g. IEA , World Bank Group ). Deep sea mining represents an opportunity for environmentally and socially responsible access to these resources. Consumer demand for responsibly sourced materials is rising, so we should define what that looks like and empower the innovators to do their work. We also feel that a holistic approach to critical minerals is required. A deep sea mining moratorium, pause, or ban would only result in more land-based mining impacts and will make it impossible to achieve Net-Zero by 2050.

B.17 NGOs cite that many countries and companies have signed up for a moratorium, pause, or ban. What is Impossible Metals’ view on this?

Christian2025-03-10T12:31:30-07:00July 26th, 2024|

B.16 What is Impossible Metals’ stance on calls for a deep sea mining moratorium, pause or ban?

Christian2025-01-08T15:40:33-08:00July 26th, 2024|

D.3 When will your technology be ready for commercial mining operations?

G.4 What technical risks do competing dredging tractor and riser systems still have to mitigate?

D.2 What technical risks does Impossible Metals still have to mitigate?

D.1 How is Impossible Metals technology different from others?

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