Impossible Metals Seeks Mining Lease Near American Samoa

Deep-sea mining firm Impossible Metals said on Tuesday that it has asked U.S. federal officials to launch a commercial auction for access to deposits of nickel, cobalt and other critical minerals off the coast of American Samoa.

The waters around the Pacific Ocean territory are estimated to contain large amounts of potato-shaped rocks known as polymetallic nodules filled with the building blocks for electric vehicles and electronics.

The request from privately held Impossible Metals asks the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management - which oversees mineral deposits in federal waters - to launch a competitive lease process for the American Samoa nodules.

A BOEM spokesperson confirmed the request and said the agency will decide by May 23 "whether to initiate steps that could lead to a lease sale." The agency has not held a competitive lease sale since 1991.

If the BOEM decides to move forward, the request would be put out for public comment before any auction.

Supporters of deep-sea mining say it would lessen the need for large mining operations on land, which are often unpopular with host communities. Detractors say more research is needed to determine how the practice could affect ecosystems.

California-based Impossible