Y. Fouquet and D. Lacroix
122
A national and European policy in terms of access to strategic minerals is not only
justified in the medium term, but has become urgent given the implementation
times required. Growing dependence for strategic metals is expected to have negative impacts both in economic terms and in terms of security and sustainability for
many sensitive industries, in particular in the military field.
France has many assets in the field of mining (scientific and technological research, mining industry, metallogenic treatment, offshore engineering, training…)
and boasts large maritime areas whose exploration is gradually revealing various
mineral resources.
This study on deep-sea mineral resources has therefore called upon targeted foresight to answer guiding questions in terms of scientific knowledge, exploration and
exploitation technologies, socio-economic profitability conditions and predictable
impacts on the deep-sea environment.
Five major areas of action emerge as priorities if France is to preserve the security of its strategic mineral supply and reinforce its action capacities in this field.
In scientific terms, it is crucial for new deposits to be discovered and knowledge
of deep-sea mineral-rich sites to be improved, starting with the understanding of
metal transfer and concentration processes. This exploration should take into account ecosystems associated with these geological features, in order to estimate
biodiversity and determine their vulnerability if subject to mining in situ or close by.
In technological terms, it is important to note that, while these deep-sea exploration technologies exist, they could be greatly improved upon, as they must be
adapted to these new geological contexts. Mining technologies still need to be developed and tested. The major challenges and high costs involved justify the need
to reinforce this French industrial sector and to build it on a wide-reaching panEuropean partnership.
In geopolitical terms, the question of access to areas of interest should be addressed both on a national scale (exploration, exploitation and extension of the continental shelf through the Extraplac programme) and an international scale: upkeep
of nodule licenses, submission of new applications, diplomatic actions in international management bodies… Growing global competition for access to maritime
areas is a certainty.
In political terms, several actions should be carried out jointly, such as the growth
in economies consuming sensitive metals and the study of their substitutability and
their recycling as part of an eco-design approach. This policy should be planned and
coordinated with all players, both within the metal industry and the fields of end
use, in order to save time, improve efficiency and reduce the resources required.
In environmental terms, the considerable lack of knowledge on deep-sea ecosystems, which are far richer and more diverse than initially expected, must first
be overcome. Through such exploration, the constraints on exploitation may be
defined in order to minimise impacts and marine protected areas may be proposed,
in order to guarantee a long term balance between exploitation and protection.
France has assets in all the fields involved in the development of deep-sea mineral resources, starting with the first of all: available space. Yet the world is entering
a phase of growing tension over these resources. It has therefore become necessary
in this field to prepare a controlled, rather than an imposed, future.
122
A national and European policy in terms of access to strategic minerals is not only
justified in the medium term, but has become urgent given the implementation
times required. Growing dependence for strategic metals is expected to have negative impacts both in economic terms and in terms of security and sustainability for
many sensitive industries, in particular in the military field.
France has many assets in the field of mining (scientific and technological research, mining industry, metallogenic treatment, offshore engineering, training…)
and boasts large maritime areas whose exploration is gradually revealing various
mineral resources.
This study on deep-sea mineral resources has therefore called upon targeted foresight to answer guiding questions in terms of scientific knowledge, exploration and
exploitation technologies, socio-economic profitability conditions and predictable
impacts on the deep-sea environment.
Five major areas of action emerge as priorities if France is to preserve the security of its strategic mineral supply and reinforce its action capacities in this field.
In scientific terms, it is crucial for new deposits to be discovered and knowledge
of deep-sea mineral-rich sites to be improved, starting with the understanding of
metal transfer and concentration processes. This exploration should take into account ecosystems associated with these geological features, in order to estimate
biodiversity and determine their vulnerability if subject to mining in situ or close by.
In technological terms, it is important to note that, while these deep-sea exploration technologies exist, they could be greatly improved upon, as they must be
adapted to these new geological contexts. Mining technologies still need to be developed and tested. The major challenges and high costs involved justify the need
to reinforce this French industrial sector and to build it on a wide-reaching panEuropean partnership.
In geopolitical terms, the question of access to areas of interest should be addressed both on a national scale (exploration, exploitation and extension of the continental shelf through the Extraplac programme) and an international scale: upkeep
of nodule licenses, submission of new applications, diplomatic actions in international management bodies… Growing global competition for access to maritime
areas is a certainty.
In political terms, several actions should be carried out jointly, such as the growth
in economies consuming sensitive metals and the study of their substitutability and
their recycling as part of an eco-design approach. This policy should be planned and
coordinated with all players, both within the metal industry and the fields of end
use, in order to save time, improve efficiency and reduce the resources required.
In environmental terms, the considerable lack of knowledge on deep-sea ecosystems, which are far richer and more diverse than initially expected, must first
be overcome. Through such exploration, the constraints on exploitation may be
defined in order to minimise impacts and marine protected areas may be proposed,
in order to guarantee a long term balance between exploitation and protection.
France has assets in all the fields involved in the development of deep-sea mineral resources, starting with the first of all: available space. Yet the world is entering
a phase of growing tension over these resources. It has therefore become necessary
in this field to prepare a controlled, rather than an imposed, future.