India to Apply for Deep-Sea Critical Minerals Mining in the Pacific

India plans to apply for obtaining licenses for deep-sea mining of minerals key for the energy transition in the Pacific, a senior government scientist told Reuters on Monday.   India has been exploring ways to own and develop critical minerals assets abroad as its renewable energy rollout is soaring and as it seeks to have its own stream of supply of key metals such as lithium, nickel, and copper. Now the country is getting ready to apply in 2025 with the UN-backed International Seabed Authority (ISA) for exploration licenses in…