The Massif Central, a geological gem located in the heart of France, is now attracting increasing interest due to its vast lithium deposits. If some consider this region to be a real El Dorado, others, more cautiously, highlight the economic and environmental problems associated with exploitation projects.

In Echassier, Allier, mining group Imerys is organizing the Emili project, an initiative to extract lithium from its site in Beauvoir. Goal: help reduce Europe’s dependence on Chinaagainst the backdrop of growing demand for lithium batteries for electric vehicles.

The prefect of Allier, Pascal Trimbach, emphasizes the structural impact of the project on the department, promising to create around 1,000 direct and indirect jobs. She also emphasizes its importance for France in terms of reindustrialization and energy sovereignty.

Lithium deposit critical to French goals?

Beneath the kaolin quarry, which the Imerys company has been developing since 2005, lies a colossal deposit 118 million tons of lithium ore. Christopher Heimann, director of the site, claims that this deposit has European, even global interest. Imerys plans to produce lithium hydroxide for 700,000 cars per year from 2028, which is 35% of the government’s target. The cities of Montluçon and Commentary are bidding to host the conversion plant.
The Bureau of Geological Surveys and Mines (BRGM) has already identified the lithium potential of the region in 2018 in response to a request by the Elysées to conduct an inventory of mining resources to decarbonize the economy. According to Eric Gloaguen, a geologist at BRGM, France is in a very advantageous position at the European level in terms of lithium reserves, especially in the north of the Massif Central, in Brittany and in the Alsace plain. Another deposit was spotted in Limousin in Montebra, where the only lithium mine in France was already in operation. However, researchers stress that France’s lithium potential has yet to be demonstrated.

What is the impact on the environment

While these mining projects are embraced for their economic prospects, they also raise environmental concerns. In Echassières, the Emili project faces local challenges, especially related to the drop in the groundwater level and the significant use of water by the mine. Imerys provides impact studies, measurements of groundwater level behavior throughout the year and inclusion of the project in environmental modeling. Christopher Geiman clarifies that there will be no drilling under the forest, and the ore will be transported responsibly.
Concerns are also being expressed in nearby Puy-de-Dôme, where the mayors of three municipalities oppose Sudmine’s brine project. The mayor of Coudes, Lori Le Marrec, expressed concern about the impact on the water, stressing that some studies will be carried out in the urban center of his commune.

A public consultation scheduled for spring will allow weighing the benefits and risks of these projects.

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