The Metals Company (TMC), an explorer of the world’s largest undeveloped resource of critical battery metals, announced that it had successfully produced a high-grade nickel-copper-cobalt alloy and manganese silicate during a smelting campaign, run as part of the 18-month feasibility program designed to process a 2,000-tonne sample of deep-seafloor polymetallic nodules at its partner PAMCO’s Rotary Kiln Electric-Arc Furnace (RKEF) operating facility in Hachinohe, Japan.

Following the recovery of 3,000 tonnes of nodules during 2022 test mining by TMC’s subsidiary Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI) from its exploration contract area D in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ), 2,000 tonnes were delivered to PAMCO’s RKEF plant to go through a feasibility program consisting of calcining and smelting campaigns. Following the commercial-scale production of calcine in September 2024, over a 14-day continuous smelting campaign in January and February 2025, PAMCO operators fed approximately 450 tonnes of calcine material into a 3,000 kVA DC electric-arc furnace and produced high-grade nickel-copper-cobalt alloy and manganese silicate [see video]. By utilizing existing processing capacity with minimal modifications to existing equipment, TMC can avoid the high costs and risks associated with building new processing plants while demonstrating the feasibility of integrating the processing of CCZ nodules into established metallurgical operations.

The completion of the processing feasibility study marks a key milestone in the company’s efforts to de-risk the onshore component of its project as it prepares to submit the world’s first exploitation application to begin commercial nodule production in international waters.

TMC’s Head of Onshore Development, Dr. Jeffrey Donald, commented: “Successfully converting nodules into high-grade nickel-copper-cobalt alloy and manganese silicate at PAMCO’s existing facility is a major milestone, eliminating the need to build new infrastructure from scratch. PAMCO has proven they are ready to receive and process nodules as soon as TMC delivers them. Their deep expertise in large-scale nickel laterite processing, combined with skilled engineers and operators, has been instrumental in demonstrating that nodule processing can be seamlessly integrated into established metallurgical operations—saving years in development time and billions in CAPEX. Their commitment to innovation and efficiency has helped us refine our near-zero-solid-waste processing approach, potentially redefining how critical minerals are sourced.”

PAMCO’s Senior Executive Officer in charge of the project, Mr. Chitaru Okamura, commented: “We are very pleased that the smelting trial was successful following the calcination trials. These two trials are the main processes in nodule smelting, and we have made great progress in clearing the technical challenges toward commercial production. Through the trial, together with the support from TMC, we have demonstrated that our facilities can be applied to nodule smelting, and the smelting technology and operational know-how we have cultivated can be fully utilized for commercial nodule operation. Moving forward, we will gear up to finalize the project feasibility.”

He added: “PAMCO will continue to promote this project, which aligns with the company philosophy to ‘Leverage the power of people to deliver the Earth’s resources in more useful forms and contribute to the happiness of humankind.’”

The process data and operational experience gathered during the commercial-scale processing trial will inform expected definitive processing agreements between the parties. In November 2023, TMC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PAMCO to complete a feasibility study to process 1.3 million tonnes of wet polymetallic nodules (PMN) per year into high-grade nickel-copper-cobalt alloy and manganese silicate, which are feedstock for the production of energy infrastructure and steel.