TRIDENT- NEW Horizon EU Project

TRIDENT-Technology based impact assessment tool for sustainable, transparent deep sea mining exploration and exploitation The main goal of the project is the development of a reliable and transparent system for the continuous assessment of the environmental impact of deep-sea exploration. With €16M funding – with close to €12M provided by the EC’s Horizon Europe programme -, the project brings together 26 institutions from 10 countries, five of them Portuguese, including INESC TEC – also acting as the project’s leader. TRIDENT will develop and integrate technology and novel solutions to operate autonomously in remote areas under extreme conditions, and provide real-time data to permitting and supervising authorities. Before mining activities can start, potential environmental impacts and mitigation approaches must be fully understood. The effective monitoring and inspection system to be developed will comply with international and national legal frameworks. TRIDENT will compile all relevant physical, chemical, geological and biological parameters already known to be measured at the sea surface, mid-water and seabed. The project will also identify gaps in methods of real-time data gathering and build datasets, and develop technological solutions to address them. These are essential steps to develop statistically robust environmental baselines, establish reliable indicators of good environmental status and define thresholds for significant impact, enabling the standardisation of tools and methods.