2024 highlights

31 January and 1 February

BRGM at the 25^th Local Water Management Forum

BRGM took part in the 2024 Local Water Management Forum (Carrefour des gestions locales de l’eau) in Rennes, a major event for all the public and private players involved in the water-management sector. In addition to having a stand presenting our work and services in the area of groundwater, we also organised a conference at the event, in conjunction with our partners. The presentations highlighted our research aimed at developing decision-making support tools and technical solutions for improving water management and protecting this resource, which is vital for various uses.

5 to 8 February

Strategic minerals: BRGM provides technical support to Zambia and Angola

During the Investing in African Mining Indaba conference in South Africa, BRGM signed two partnership agreements with Angola and Zambia concerning minerals for the energy transition. The first agreement involves providing support services to the Angola Geological Survey (IGEO). The services cover the exploration and development of these mineral resources, the training of Angolan experts, the creation of an information system and the prevention of natural risks. The purpose of the second agreement is to boost Zambia’s attractiveness and potential in terms of mining. This will involve developing the competences of the national geological survey in terms of the acquisition, management and promotion of geological data, as well as improving the efficiency of mineral-resource explorations and the capacity to assess the mining activities of companies operating in the country.

9 February

New impetus for our partnership with ANDRA

The French National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management (ANDRA) and BRGM signed a new five-year partnership agreement focusing on the digital transformation of knowledge. The partnership’s focus is to continue developing tools for mapping changes in geological environments affected by industrial activities (high-performance digital simulations), in order to assess and predict the overall behaviour of these systems over large geographical areas and long periods of time. The aim is also to create and deploy digital twins of complex subsurface systems in order to monitor their structures and geological environments and interpret the data acquired from experiments or demonstrators. The partnership also involves two components aimed at ensuring the reliability of the geological, hydrogeological and geochemical knowledge required for the Cigéo geological radioactive waste disposal project.

4 March

Promoting sustainable mining activities in Uzbekistan

The agreement signed between BRGM and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Mining and Geology during the PDAC trade fair in Canada covers a wide range of subjects, including groundwater, mineral resources, geological mapping, geothermal energy, CO₂ storage and risks linked to floods and earthquakes. It established the framework for scientific and technical cooperation aimed at developing training capabilities, mutual exchanges of experience and bilateral research activities. In Uzbekistan, BRGM will notably help to set up the country’s national geological survey organisation and a digital infrastructure concerning information on subsurface resources and risks.

13 and 14 March

Focus on the Alps and surrounding basins

Under the management of BRGM, the French Geological Reference Platform (RGF) aims to supplement the geological map of France by providing consistent and coherent 3D, digital geological information for the whole country. Every year, the RGF Days provide an opportunity for the stakeholders involved in one or more RGF projects, as well as PhD students, to present the progress of their work and talk about how the data is collected and fed into the RGF database, and to discuss any scientific obstacles encountered. The 2024 event was organised in Orléans and focused on the Alps and the surrounding basins.

19 March

An increasingly diverse range of training courses

In 2024, BRGM launched a new training package to raise awareness about the issues and impacts of climate change, through a series of six free, interactive webinars presented by its in-house scientific experts. The webinars addressed the subjects of water, decarbonisation, geothermal energy, mineral resources, landslides and coastal risks. This diversification, which will continue in 2025 with the launch of a new series of e-learning modules, makes BRGM’s range of training courses even more attractive. Indeed, in 2024, some 1,200 trainees registered for our courses, generating a 17% increase in revenues compared with 2023.

4 and 5 April

Everything you need to know about karst-related landslides

BRGM and Cerema held a seminar in Orléans on the subject of karst-related ground movements in order to help the organisations and companies involved in spatial planning and construction to manage this risk effectively. Around sixty participants took part in the event. After an initial presentation about karst-related phenomena (origins, processes, consequences, prevention), the participants were introduced to the method used for assessing this natural hazard, as described by the two organisers of the seminar in their 2023 publication entitled “Aléa mouvements de terrain d’origine karstique” (a guide to the hazard of karst-related ground movements), published with the support of the French Ministry of Ecological Transition through its General Directorate for Risk Prevention (DGPR). A visit to the Jargeau bridge work-site in the Loiret region was organised the following day to allow participants to see how the technical points presented in the seminar translate into practice.

4 June

AMORSE, improving the quantitative management of water resources

As part of a partnership that will run until 2028, BRGM and the Artois-Picardie Water Agency have launched an R&D project – baptised AMORSE – to improve the long-term quantitative management of the water resources in this major water basin, notably in the face of climate change. For BRGM, the project involves upgrading its digital hydrogeological models and extending their application to the area’s sub-basins, in order to assess the volumes of groundwater available. The modelling process will enable BRGM to test several scenarios, representing different potential developments in terms of the quantities of water available, in order to determine the maximum volumes that can be abstracted per sub-basin for each given use, according to each scenario.

20 June

The laying of the foundation stone for BRGM’s new laboratories

In autumn 2025, BRGM’s various analysis laboratories – along with all their related service and logistics activities – will move into a single building on the organisation’s main scientific operations site in Orléans. Designed with efficiency and functionality in mind, this new 4,700m² complex is being built in line with a virtuous environmental approach: bioclimatic design, High Environmental Quality (HQE) standards, E+C- (Positive Energy and Carbon Reduction) certification, geothermal heating, etc. The “BatLab” will provide the best possible working and living conditions, while promoting continuity between research and experimentation, thanks to its proximity to the technology platforms. The building can also be easily upgraded to take future developments into account.

3 July

A scientific and industrial partnership concerning geothermal lithium

After working on several joint projects, BRGM has established a formal research partnership with Lithium de France, France’s leading independent operator in the field of geothermal heat and lithium, concerning the industrial development of geothermal lithium. The agreement will accelerate the deployment of studies into this geothermal resource in the Rhine Graben, in northern Alsace, in order to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms through which lithium is naturally enriched in geological reservoirs and determine the factors that affect its long-term presence. The aim is to optimise prospecting methods and define the conditions for the sustainable management of this geothermal mineral, so as to secure future supplies and protect the environment.

8 July

What does the future hold for geothermal energy in Centre-Val de Loire?

BRGM, the Regional Council and the Prefecture of Centre-Val de Loire invited more than 130 representatives of companies and organisations involved in geothermal energy to BRGM’s scientific centre in Orléans to discuss the challenges facing this sector in the region and help establish a regional roadmap for the future. Through a series of presentations of hands-on experiences, workshops and round tables, the day’s programme examined the current strategy and identified ways of leveraging the development of this renewable energy source as part of the energy transition, while also addressing potential current and future obstacles. Geothermal energy is still under-exploited in the Centre-Val de Loire region, despite its considerable potential for producing heat and, in some cases, for cooling, whatever the technologies involved.

11 July

Closer cooperation with Météo-France

Météo-France and BRGM decided to step up their partnership on climate issues by signing a five-year framework agreement covering three priority areas: water-resource management, with a view to improving forecasts in order to better anticipate groundwater situations in the short, medium and long term; the risk of coastal flooding, in order to more accurately assess coastal-exposure scenarios; droughts and the shrinkage and swelling of clays, in order to better understand these phenomena. The partnership will involve carrying out joint studies and work on behalf of public authorities, research projects, the joint supervision of theses, joint participation in French and/or European calls for projects, staff exchanges and the sharing of data, equipment or scientific instruments.

10 to 12 September

Meeting of EuroGeoSurveys national delegates in Orléans

In 2024, BRGM’s site in Orléans hosted the annual forum of delegates of EuroGeoSurveys, the association of European geological surveys, of which it had been the Chair since 2023. The event provided an opportunity for the thirty representatives present to move forward together on a common strategic research and innovation agenda. The forum ended with a visit to the site of the Cigéo project, headed up by ANDREA, in Bure in the Meuse département.

30 September

The Géorisques portal celebrates its 10^th anniversary

With an average of 18,000 visits a day, some 90,000 pages viewed and 10,000 risk reports generated, Georisques.gouv.fr has established itself as the benchmark for local information on natural and technological risks in France, for professionals and private individuals alike. Created in 2014 by the French Ministry for Ecological Transition and BRGM, which is the technical operator of the site, this portal centralises information from more than 30 databases and makes it accessible free of charge. It also allows users to obtain a simplified summary of the natural risks at any given address, by clicking on “Connaître les risques près de chez moi” (Find out about the risks near me), by entering an address and downloading the corresponding report.

23 October

BRGM’s 50-year presence in La Réunion

BRGM has had an office in La Réunion since 1974 and has significantly contributed to improving knowledge of the regional geology. It has also created a map of natural hazards for each municipality. The French Geological Survey celebrated this 50^th anniversary by confirming its intention to continue to address the island’s major challenges in terms of geological and natural risks, in partnership with all the local players involved in research and public services. BRGM has already strengthened its partnership with the Regional Council by signing a four-year framework agreement, which sets out the main objectives for future studies and operations, focussing on the needs of local populations and developing the economy to ensure the island’s long-term sovereignty in terms of healthcare, food and energy.

4 November

Start of operations at BRGM’s new subsidiary

BRGM set up a new subsidiary specialising in data acquisition in the field of mineral exploration. Combining agility and responsiveness, BRGM Explore organises field campaigns, monitors service providers and relations with local stakeholders, checks the quality of the data collected and validates the preliminary interpretations of the latter. The subsidiary also provides services involving existing data, by collecting, reconstructing and formatting historical information and preparing and analysing the geochemical characteristics of old samples. Its primary mission is to contribute to updating the French Inventory of Subsurface Mineral Resources, a project managed by BRGM.

13 November

15^th anniversary of the Public Outreach Charter

Anses, BRGM, Ifremer, Ineris, Inrae, IRSN, Santé publique France and Gustave Eiffel University made a commitment to opening their activities up to civil society by signing a dedicated Outreach Charter in 2009. To mark the fifteenth anniversary of this text, the eight signatories – all public establishments involved in research, assessment and evaluation of health and environmental risks – got together for an event at IRSN’s headquarters in Fontenay-aux-Roses in the Hauts-de-Seine to talk about the positive impact of this approach on their respective activities. The signatories also re-asserted their commitment to an open, transparent, multi-party process for public decision-making.

26 November

A new online store

BRGM proposes a selection, unique in France, of maps, books, publications and resources for non-specialists in the field of Earth sciences. The new online store offers a comprehensive range of products and is more user-friendly, making it easy to search through the 3,000 references available. It is aimed at a wide range of audiences: teachers, students, professionals, researchers and science enthusiasts. A map search engine helps you find the 1:50,000 scale geological map(s) corresponding to any given area in mainland France. The products available also include geological guides, children’s books, coffee-table books, and scientific and technical magazines, as well as posters, puzzles and other kinds of games.

16 December

BRGM supports Terra Innova

After working together for several years, BRGM and its investment subsidiary BRGM Invest acquired a 21% stake in Terra Innova, within the context of the company’s fund-raising operation. Terra Innova specialises in recycling excavated soil from construction sites, which it uses to redevelop areas that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. BRGM will help the company to develop its business and deploy its innovative model by establishing a structured national network of sites that can be redeveloped using reclaimed soil.

BRGM at the 25th Local Water Management Forum