4
Y. Fouquet and D. Lacroix
many hydrothermal fields in the Western Pacific to Nautilus Minerals (230,000 km
2
)
and Neptune Minerals (264,000 km
2
). Nautilus are preparing to exploit hydrothermal deposits in Papua New Guinea, which will constitute the first mineral mining
operation at a depth of 1,800 m. French oil industry engineering company Technip
is at the forefront alongside Nautilus and Neptune, providing the equipment required for the deep-sea mining of sulphide ore.
These recent breakthroughs raise geopolitical issues. Access to mineral raw materials gives rise to increasingly visible international competition. What is, or will
be, France and Europe’s strategy to determine its position in this field, secure its
supplies and develop specialised technologies. What types of cooperation should be
prioritised in order to be well placed in 20 years’ time? How is European industry
placed in this field? A specific commitment from France will be required to conduct
investigations, over and above the current mapping effort. Such investigations will
enable potential mineral and energy resources to be located and inventoried in the
extension of the country’s national territory which makes up the world’s second
largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Finally, to assess the wealth of these deposits, with a view to exploiting them, environmental studies involving geologists,
chemists and biologists will be required.
Faced with rapidly evolving demand for mineral raw materials and growing interest from industry, the ISA voted in a text in 2010 which governs the exploration
of sulphides in international waters. China immediately submitted an application
for exploration of hydrothermal mineral deposits in the Indian Ocean. There is a
risk of scientific research being restricting to certain areas. France’s position is all
the more justified as it has 30 years of expertise in this field.
On an international level, Russia supports a major exploration and inventory
programme for hydrothermal mineral resources along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, for
which it has recently submitted an exploration application to the ISA. Japan, the
United States and Germany include metals in their medium term priorities. Finally,
China, India and South Korea are launching ambitious exploration programmes
based on access to deep-sea resources. All these initiatives draw upon long term
strategies including, in order, strong political will, development of technological
skills and access to scientific knowledge and deep-sea resources as a factor of economic independence.
A Changing Societal Context
Like oil, mineral resources are generally non-renewable; their formation is slower
than their consumption rate. This is therefore a limited resource that can be exhausted, with serious consequences for the environment. Known reserves of many
metals are expected to be exhausted within 10–50 years, on the basis of current
consumption rates.
The short term vision of mineral availability at the Earth’s surface is generally
conceived according to the needs of developed countries. Current resources would
not allow all the planet’s inhabitants to use metals to the same extent as the current
Y. Fouquet and D. Lacroix
many hydrothermal fields in the Western Pacific to Nautilus Minerals (230,000 km
2
)
and Neptune Minerals (264,000 km
2
). Nautilus are preparing to exploit hydrothermal deposits in Papua New Guinea, which will constitute the first mineral mining
operation at a depth of 1,800 m. French oil industry engineering company Technip
is at the forefront alongside Nautilus and Neptune, providing the equipment required for the deep-sea mining of sulphide ore.
These recent breakthroughs raise geopolitical issues. Access to mineral raw materials gives rise to increasingly visible international competition. What is, or will
be, France and Europe’s strategy to determine its position in this field, secure its
supplies and develop specialised technologies. What types of cooperation should be
prioritised in order to be well placed in 20 years’ time? How is European industry
placed in this field? A specific commitment from France will be required to conduct
investigations, over and above the current mapping effort. Such investigations will
enable potential mineral and energy resources to be located and inventoried in the
extension of the country’s national territory which makes up the world’s second
largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Finally, to assess the wealth of these deposits, with a view to exploiting them, environmental studies involving geologists,
chemists and biologists will be required.
Faced with rapidly evolving demand for mineral raw materials and growing interest from industry, the ISA voted in a text in 2010 which governs the exploration
of sulphides in international waters. China immediately submitted an application
for exploration of hydrothermal mineral deposits in the Indian Ocean. There is a
risk of scientific research being restricting to certain areas. France’s position is all
the more justified as it has 30 years of expertise in this field.
On an international level, Russia supports a major exploration and inventory
programme for hydrothermal mineral resources along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, for
which it has recently submitted an exploration application to the ISA. Japan, the
United States and Germany include metals in their medium term priorities. Finally,
China, India and South Korea are launching ambitious exploration programmes
based on access to deep-sea resources. All these initiatives draw upon long term
strategies including, in order, strong political will, development of technological
skills and access to scientific knowledge and deep-sea resources as a factor of economic independence.
A Changing Societal Context
Like oil, mineral resources are generally non-renewable; their formation is slower
than their consumption rate. This is therefore a limited resource that can be exhausted, with serious consequences for the environment. Known reserves of many
metals are expected to be exhausted within 10–50 years, on the basis of current
consumption rates.
The short term vision of mineral availability at the Earth’s surface is generally
conceived according to the needs of developed countries. Current resources would
not allow all the planet’s inhabitants to use metals to the same extent as the current