Office of geological and mining research

The Bureau of geological and mining research (in summary BRGM) is a public corporation related to commercial industrial and (EPIC) French under the supervision of the Ministries for the Recherche, the Industrie and the Environment.

It employs in 2004 nearly 850 people. It is chaired by Philippe Vesseron and Didier Houssin is his delegated general director. He is based with Orleans.

History

Created in 1959 by the decree n° 59-1205, the BRGM is the heir to the Office of geological research and geophysics (BRGG) created in 1941 per Edmond Friedel and Pierre Pruvost and intended to chart the basement of the France.

Objectives

The BRGM aims to include/understand the geological phenomena, to develop new techniques of prevention of the natural risks or pollution. The office also has the role of producing and of diffusing data and tools useful for the public policies for management of the ground, basement and resources and with the policies of Town and country planning.

Since 1968, after its regrouping with the Service of the Geological map, the BRGM is in charge with the survey and the publication of the Geological map of the French territory. The free consultation of the geological maps raised and published by the BRGM is possible on the Infoterre site.

Subsidiary companies & Participations

The BRGM has industrial subsidiary companies and participations in the mining area, and in particular:

nearly 2% of the capital of Eramet, via BRGM SA
100% of the capital of CFG Services (Geothermics, maintenance of geothermal power stations and specialized drilling)
60% of the capital of Ebullient Geothermics (electrical production by Ebullient geothermics with , in Guadeloupe)
51% of IRIS Instruments (measuring devices geophysics, hydrogeologic and geotechnics)
49% of Metso Minerals Cisa (apparatuses and control systems for the mining industry)

Legal contentions in Peru

In 1980, the BRGM discovers the gold mine of Yancocha in Peru and joins American local companies and North for its exploitation. At the conclusion of a legal imbroglio, the BRGM is exproprié with the profit of its associates whereas the reserves of the layer discovered are announced important.

Jurisprudence

The BRGM gave its name to a “great stop” of the Administrative law, returned on December 21st, 1987 by the Court of appeal (first civil court, appeal n° 86-14167): this stop aims “the general principle of the following right which the goods of the public people are imperceptible”, principle which applies in particular to the EPIC, and which prohibits to resort to the ways of execution of private law against these establishments.

External bonds

Site of the BRGM
Site infoterre of the BRGM

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