The heads of more than 30 public bodies in France, including Catherine Lagneau, CEO of BRGM, met with the AFD Group on 8 January 2025 to sign a joint declaration.
© AFD - Alexandre Sallé de Chou
On 8 January 2025, on the occasion of the AFD Group's Annual Meetings, BRGM signed a joint declaration with more than 30 French public bodies to mark their commitment to the public policy of sustainable investment and international solidarity.
As a primary partner of the French development agency (AFD), with which it signed an agreement in 2022, and with its involvement in numerous cooperation projects, BRGM is reaffirming its commitment to exporting its subsurface expertise for the purposes of resilient regional development.
Helping to manage natural risks and adapt to climate change
Under projects it carries out in partnership with AFD, BRGM assesses geological hazards (earthquakes, landslides, mining subsidence or hazards related to disasters caused by adverse weather conditions) and provides tools to reduce the vulnerability of the areas concerned.
It supports governments and decision makers in adapting to climate change, in particular by developing models to anticipate changes in coastal erosion.
For example, BRGM is currently carrying out a major study of coastal vulnerability in Mauritius under a FEXTE (Technical Expertise and Experience Sharing Fund) project. The study, the hazard maps and the recommendations will provide direct support to decision makers for the purposes of resilient regional planning, particularly with regard to tourist facilities.
Contributing to sustainable water resource management
Groundwater is an essential resource for regional development, ensuring access to drinking water and enabling the development of agriculture and industry. BRGM provides expertise in the following areas:
- identifying and monitoring aquifers;
- preventing pollution or over-exploitation;
- developing digital tools such as hydrogeological models to manage these resources sustainably.
BRGM also helps to manage water crises in the context of increasing water stress.
BRGM is currently deploying this multi-component expertise in Ethiopia, Jordan and the Dominican Republic in the form of FEXTE projects.
Ensuring a responsible supply of mineral resources
BRGM is also contributing to AFD's new strategy on energy transition minerals.
It carries out studies to locate and assess deposits of essential mineral substances (metals, industrial minerals, etc.). These resources are essential for many economic sectors such as construction, industry and low-carbon technologies.
Developing resources locally and responsibly creates economic opportunities (jobs and tax revenues) and helps to stimulate regional industrialisation and raise the standard of living of the inhabitants of the areas concerned.
BRGM is also involved in managing the environmental impact of past and present mining activities.
Two FEXTE projects are scheduled to start in the near future: one in Argentina and the other in Bolivia, to study the impact on groundwater resources of lithium mining in the salars (salt pans) located in several regions in these countries. These studies will give rise to recommendations for monitoring these impacts.
Energy transition: diversifying regional energy mixes
Knowledge of the subsurface is essential to achieving the energy transition, not only with regard to the materials it requires, but also for developing activities to produce energy from the subsurface.
BRGM is contributing its expertise in this area, particularly geothermal energy, and has all the expertise required to estimate the geological potential for natural hydrogen.
