Poland to start mining in the Atlantic in the next 10 years

Poland will be able to start mining potential resources at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean within the next 10 years, chief geologist Mariusz Orion Jędrysek said. “Polish parcel at the bottom of the Atlantic has huge geological resources. There are only seven countries in the world with such parcels, and I think it will be possible in the space of 10 years to start mining the fields,” Jędrysek said, adding that the first reconnaissance cruise will take place next year. Poland controls a 10 sq km plot in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, south-east from the Azores. It is rich in such elements as copper sulfides, gold, platinum and rare earth elements. In August 2017, the Council of Ministers approved the "Geological Reconnaissance Program for the Oceans" (PRoGeO) developed by the Ministry of the Environment. It assumes the extraction of precious metals deposited on the ocean floor.