The Ministry of Earth Sciences and the National Institute of Ocean Technology have organised a workshop bringing together government, industry and research leaders to explore deep sea mining opportunities for India. The event, held in New Delhi, focused on how India can develop its seabed mineral resources to meet future demand for critical materials needed in clean energy and manufacturing.
What India holds and what it plans
India has an exploration contract from the International Seabed Authority covering 75,000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin. This area is believed to contain between 366 and 380 million tonnes of polymetallic nodules, which are rocky formations rich in metals like nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese. India also holds two exploration contracts for polymetallic sulphides, including a recent agreement for exploration near the Carlsberg Ridge.
Under the Deep Ocean Mission, a government initiative backed by 4,077 crore rupees, the National Institute of Ocean Technology has already tested indigenous deep-sea mining equipment at depths exceeding 5,000 metres in the Indian Ocean. The ministry says this demonstrates India’s technical readiness for subsea engineering work.
The workshop was conducted with support from knowledge partner EY and NITI Aayog. Officials indicated that a White Paper on deep sea mining will be released to guide India’s approach to the sector. However, commercial mining operations cannot begin until the International Seabed Authority publishes an Exploitation Code.
What this means for you
India currently depends on imports for critical minerals used in batteries, computers and electric vehicles. Developing domestic deep-sea mining could reduce this dependence and create jobs in offshore engineering, marine technology, shipbuilding and battery manufacturing. The workshop signals that government intends to move from simply exploring these resources to actually mining and processing them commercially, which could reshape India’s role in global supply chains for green energy technologies.