Lithium exploration permit granted in the Limagne basin

An exclusive lithium mine exploration permit, known as the “Bassin de Limagne,” has been granted to the simplified joint-stock company 2Gré (SIREN 529 770 646) in the department of Puy-de-Dôme. The decision was made by decree on July 31, 2026, published in the Official Journal of the French Republic No. 0199 on August 27, 2026, under reference NOR ECOR2617123A.

The permit covers an area of 442.68 km² and is issued for a period of five years from the date of its publication. The financial commitment undertaken by the holder, corresponding to the minimum amount of expenditure devoted to exploration, amounts to 11,950,000 euros.

An extensive perimeter around Clermont-Ferrand

The permit covers all or part of the territories of more than sixty municipalities in Puy-de-Dôme, from the Clermont-Ferrand urban area to the Limagne plain. These notably include:

• Clermont-Ferrand, Riom, Chamalières, Cournon-d’Auvergne, Pont-du-Château, and Volvic;
• rural municipalities of the Limagne such as Ennezat, Martres-sur-Morge, Saint-Beauzire, or Thuret;
• municipalities of the Val d’Allier and the hillsides, such as Aulnat, Lempdes, or Châtel-Guyon.

The perimeter is delimited by seven vertices (A to G) defined by their geodetic coordinates in the RGF 93 – Lambert 93 reference system.

A strict regulatory and environmental framework

The granting of the permit is subject to compliance with the specifications provided for in III of Article L. 114-3 of the Mining Code, annexed to the decree. The permit holder must, in particular, establish—before any project likely to have significant environmental impacts and no later than within six months—a program for identifying and monitoring the impacts of the exploration and exploitation phases.

This mechanism includes, at a minimum:

• seismic monitoring;
• monitoring of groundwater and surface water;
• monitoring of radioactivity levels likely to be encountered in geothermal brines.

A publicity and notification procedure

The decree will be notified to the company 2Gré by the Prefect of Puy-de-Dôme, who will also ensure its publicity in the form of an extract:

• posting at the Prefecture of Puy-de-Dôme;
• publication in the collection of administrative acts and on the website of the State services in this department;
• publication at the holder’s expense in a national, regional, or local newspaper whose circulation extends to the entire area covered by the title.

A step toward French mining sovereignty

This decree, signed under the authority of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty, is part of the French strategy to secure the supply of critical metals, of which lithium is a key component for batteries and the energy transition. For Auvergne, the opening of this research permit represents a challenge for local employment and industrial development, while raising the question of the balance between mining exploitation and environmental preservation, as framed by the specifications.

Official source: Decree of July 31, 2026 granting an exclusive lithium mine research permit, known as “Bassin de Limagne,” to the company 2Gré (Puy-de-Dôme department), NOR ECOR2617123A, published in the JORF No. 0199 of August 27, 2026.