Prediction: TMC The Metals Company Will Soar Over the Next Year. Here's 1 Reason Why.

Think, for a moment, of all the batteries needed for electric cars and clean energy. Now imagine them distilled into their composite metals and materials, and picture four of those materials -- cobalt, copper, manganese, and nickel -- sitting on the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean.

That, in a nutshell (or a nodule, rather), is what TMC The Metals Company (NASDAQ: TMC) is chasing.

TMC controls exploratory areas within the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a vast abyssal plain located between Mexico and Hawaii, where billions of these lumpy polymetallic nodules are scattered about the muddy bottom. The company estimates that there are enough nodules in its contract area to power 280 million electric vehicles.

Image source: TMC The Metals Company.

While TMC has been exploring this region for nearly 15 years, conducting tests and laying the groundwork for nodule extraction, it's only in the last year that commercial production of those nodules has felt like anything more than a pipe dream.

That's because previously, TMC had hit an impasse. It had the equipment to extract nodules -- thanks to its partner Allseas -- and pathways to process those metals into battery-grade products. But what it lacked was the skeleton key to this massive treasure trove, the regulatory approval from the International Seabed Authority (ISA).

That changed last year, however, when the U.S. -- which never ratified the treaty that made the ISA and therefore doesn't abide by its rules -- offered TMC a second regulatory pathway, indeed, an accelerated pathway to mining. TMC's application was found to be in substantial compliance, and it expects the regulatory review to conclude by early 2027.

The White House has been aggressive lately in its efforts to shore up domestic supplies of metals, especially critical and rare-earth metals. If it continues to support TMC's deep-sea ambitions with regulatory shrouding, this pre-revenue metal company could initiate nodule mining next year.

The metal stock is still highly speculative, and there's no guarantee the White House won't end up acquiescing to international law should a conflict arise. Only aggressive investors who want exposure to critical mineral supply chains should proceed.

Steven Porrello has positions in TMC The Metals Company. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.