TMC Secures NOAA Regulatory Compliance for Deep-Seabed Mining Application

Key Facts

1NOAA determined that TMC USA's consolidated application for exploration and commercial recovery is in full compliance with the DSHMRA requirements.

2The consolidated application increases the commercial recovery area from 25,000 to 65,000 km2, with an estimated resource of 619 million tonnes of wet nodules.

3The company expects the regulatory process to result in a permit before the end of Q1 2027.

TMC (The Metals Company) announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has determined its subsidiary's consolidated application is in full compliance with the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA). The application covers an expanded commercial recovery area, increasing from 25,000 to 65,000 square kilometers, with estimated resources of 619 million tonnes of wet nodules. This determination moves the project into the certification stage and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) review, streamlining the path toward commercial production. The company anticipates that the regulatory process will culminate in a final permit before the end of the first quarter of 2027. This milestone reduces permitting uncertainty for the small-cap firm and expands its potential resource base for critical energy transition metals. Analysts view this as a significant regulatory step forward, although final commercialization remains several years away.