The Beijing Pioneer Hi-Tech Development Corporation (BPHDC) has applied to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for approval of a plan of work for the exploration of polymetallic nodules in the Western Pacific Ocean.
Polymetallic nodules contain nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese, which are subject of increasing interest with the rise of green energy technologies required for a low-carbon future.
Sponsored by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the application covers a total area of 148,250 km2 divided in two parts of equal estimated commercial value.
BPHDC is a state-owned enterprise affiliated with the Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China.
The application, which was submitted on 24 December 2018, will be considered by the Legal and Technical Commission during its March 2019 session in Kingston, Jamaica.
ISSUED 23 JANUARY 2019
For media enquiries, please contact:
Katie Elles, Communications Specialist, International Seabed Authority, M: +1 876 835 3801 / E: kelles@isa.org.jm
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