Imerys obtains the Beauvoir lithium concession until 2075

Decree No. 2026-969 of October 20, 2026, grants the company IMERYS BEAUVOIR the concession for lithium, tin, tantalum, and niobium mines known as “Beauvoir,” valid until May 23, 2075. The text, issued by the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty, is published in JORF No. 0246 of October 21, 2026, under NOR: ECOR2626803D.

The concession is the long-term mining operating title provided for by the mining code: it is distinct from a research permit, but establishes the framework within which extraction work may be authorized. Its granting is subject to compliance with an annexed set of specifications, as provided for in Part III of Article L. 114-3 of the mining code.

This movement has been underway for several months in the same region. An order dated July 31, 2026, granted the company 2Gré an exclusive research permit for lithium mines known as “Bassin de Limagne,” covering an area of 442.68 km² in Puy-de-Dôme, for five years and a financial commitment of 11,950,000 euros. Furthermore, a notice of competitive bidding published on September 16, 2026, concerns a “Permis Brivadois” of approximately 320.46 km², requested by COFORGIA BR in Cantal and Haute-Loire, which also includes lithium.

Four municipalities and four substances

The perimeter covers three municipalities in Allier — Nades, Échassières, and Lalizolle — and one municipality in Puy-de-Dôme, Servant. It is delimited by a polygon of seven vertices quoted in the RGF93 – Lambert 93 reference system, the coordinates of which appear in the annex to the decree.

The title covers four substances:

• lithium, the primary object of the project;
• tin;
• tantalum;
• niobium.

The holding company, IMERYS BEAUVOIR, is identified under SIREN 925390734.

Specifications under surveillance

The decree regulates the operation through precise obligations. The concessionaire must implement the avoidance, reduction, compensation, and support measures from its environmental, economic, and social feasibility study, supplemented by its written response to the environmental opinion of January 15, 2026.

It must also submit an indicator report to the minister in charge of mines every year, before June 30, focusing notably on:

• the annual tonnage feeding the Beauvoir concentration plant;
• the annual tonnage of waste rock;
• the annual tonnage of mica concentrate;
• the annual tonnage of concentration residues;
• the average annual lithium grade, as a percentage of Li2O, at the plant inlet;
• the average annual lithium grade of the mica concentrate.

Any change in operating method or any unanticipated substantial negative environmental impact must be notified to the minister and may constitute a substantial modification within the meaning of Article L. 114-5-1 of the mining code. Furthermore, the concessionaire must, on its own initiative and throughout the duration of the title, conduct consultations with local authorities, citizens, associations, trade unions, and companies, and provide an annual summary of the impact monitoring.

From the ore to the Saint-Victor plant

The specifications lock in the destination of the ore: the lithium-bearing mica concentrate must supply the Saint-Victor conversion unit, operated by the company Imerys Lithium France (SIREN 825165574), up to the production capacity of this plant. The lithium produced is intended to supply the French and European battery value chain.

For tin, tantalum, and niobium, the concessionaire must communicate to the prefect, no later than the submission of each application for authorization to begin work, the detailed recovery methods and the management of their environmental impacts. Exploration work is subject to an annual report before March 31, and a scoping study on the possibilities of extending the deposit must be submitted no later than ten years before the expiration of the title.

Publicity and local information

The decree will be notified to IMERYS BEAUVOIR by the prefect of Allier. An extract will be posted at the prefectures of Allier and Puy-de-Dôme as well as at the town halls of Nades, Échassières, Lalizolle, and Servant, published in the collections of administrative acts and on the websites of State services, and inserted, at the concessionaire’s expense, in a national, regional, or local newspaper distributed throughout the covered area.

With this decree, the Beauvoir lithium project changes status: it moves from the research stage to that of an operating title of nearly fifty years, backed by an identified conversion plant. The concerned municipalities now have an enforceable legal framework to monitor extracted tonnages, grades, environmental measures, and consultations, year after year, until 2075.

Source: Official Journal of the French Republic, JORF No. 0246 of October 21, 2026, decree No. 2026-969 of October 20, 2026 (NOR: ECOR2626803D).