LogIn LogOut

India Stretches Bids Deadline for 13 Offshore Deep-Sea Mineral Blocks

April 16, 2025

© currahee_shutter / Adobe Stock
© currahee_shutter / Adobe Stock

India has extended an auction of deep-sea blocks containing critical minerals used in electric vehicle batteries and other products until May 1, a spokesperson at India's Ministry of Mines said on Wednesday.

China is a top global producer of 30 of the 50 minerals considered critical by the U.S. Geological Survey, but has been curtailing exports recently amid trade tensions with the United States.

India in November launched the first tranche of an auction of 13 offshore deep-sea mineral blocks, including three lime mud blocks, three construction sand blocks, and seven polymetallic nodule blocks.

The blocks contain critical minerals including cobalt, copper, manganese, and nickel.

An initial bid deadline of February 27 was bumped to April 2 and has been extended again, the ministry spokesperson confirmed.

"We have received queries from companies that want to study the blocks and have asked for time," a source told Reuters, declining to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Another source said the move was aimed at encouraging wider participation from potential bidders.

Opposition parties have called for the auction to be cancelled citing risks to the environment and local media have reported protests led by fishermen in the southern state of Kerala.

Earlier this month, the mines minister in a written reply to parliament said the ministry had consulted the environment ministry, department of fisheries and others before launching the auction.

India currently lacks the seabed mining expertise to extract minerals, experts say.

Some Indian mining and cement companies have approached Dutch shipbuilder Royal IHC for technical assistance as they prepare to bid for deep-sea blocks, Reuters reported last month.

New Delhi has also had limited success in its onshore critical minerals auction, with only about half of the 48 blocks awarded to bidders.

Yet India is keen to accelerate seabed mineral exploration to boost the supply of raw materials critical for its energy transition.

The world's third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, it aims to add 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2030, up from 165 GW currently, while aiming for net zero emissions by 2070.


(Reuters - Reporting by Neha Arora; editing by Jason Neely)

Current News

Shell-Reliance-ONGC JV Complete India’s First Offshore Decom Project

Shell-Reliance-ONGC JV Complete India’s First Offshore Decom Project

The Future of Long-Idle Drillships: Cold-Stacked or Dead-Stacked?

The Future of Long-Idle Drillships: Cold-Stacked or Dead-Stacked?

TMC Books Compressors Orders for FPSO and LNG Vessels

TMC Books Compressors Orders for FPSO and LNG Vessels

MODEC, Sumitomo Partner Up for Delivery of Gato do Mato FPSO

MODEC, Sumitomo Partner Up for Delivery of Gato do Mato FPSO

Chuditch Gas Field Up for Summer Drilling Ops as Sunda Reshapes Ownership Structure

Chuditch Gas Field Up for Summer Drilling Ops as Sunda Reshapes Ownership Structure

EnQuest Bags Two Production Sharing Contracts off Indonesia

EnQuest Bags Two Production Sharing Contracts off Indonesia

Hanwha Drilling’s Tidal Action Drillship En Route to Petrobras’ Roncador Field

Hanwha Drilling’s Tidal Action Drillship En Route to Petrobras’ Roncador Field

Subscribe for AOG Digital E‑News

AOG Digital E-News is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

Oil prices rise ahead of Sino-US Trade Meeting
China's copper stocks are set to drop again, raising supply concerns
Copec's Q1 profits in Chile fell 8.5% due to a weaker forest unit
https://accounts.newwavemedia.com