Morocco Spain Atlantic minerals battle critical resources

The delimitation of maritime spaces between Morocco and the Canaries is no longer just a matter of map disputes. The maritime claims of both countries overlap in a zone likely to contain tellurium, cobalt, nickel, vanadium, platinum, and rare earths—raw materials that have become essential for batteries, renewable energy, electronics, and defense equipment.

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The main point of contention is Tropic Mount, located southwest of the Canary archipelago. This underwater mountain lies near the area covered by continental shelf extension requests. Whoever obtains rights over this space could eventually control access to part of its potential resources.

Spain defends a border based on the median line, calculated equidistant between the Canaries and the African coast. Morocco favors a delimitation based on equity and proportionality, arguing that the length of its continental coastline should also be taken into account.

The Treasure Redrawing the Border

For several decades, this dispute primarily concerned fishing and possible hydrocarbon reserves. The rise of critical minerals has changed the scope of the issue. Europe now seeks to reduce its external dependence on resources essential to its energy transition and technological industry.

According to the Cátedra Juan Miguel Sanjuán, this new importance could make the eastern Atlantic a central space in European energy and industrial strategy by 2030-2050. The report also mentions the possibility of joint resource management if Rabat and Madrid fail to establish a definitive border quickly.

Potential exploitation remains distant, however. The exact quantity of commercially recoverable minerals has not been established, while the fragility of deep-sea ecosystems requires strict environmental precautions. The status of the Sahara also constitutes an additional legal obstacle to any delimitation projected from its coasts.

On Bladi.net : A submarine "treasure" opposes Morocco to Madrid for control of the batteries of the future

Behind the lines drawn on maps lies a much more concrete question: who will be able, tomorrow, to explore and potentially exploit the riches buried beneath this part of the Atlantic?