This is one of the ways to strengthen France’s energy independence. In the old mines of the North, whose exploitation ended in 1990, the mine gas called “grisú” is extracted again.

Once a nightmare for miners, the choice of the city of Béthune to exploit this gas, essentially composed of methane, now seems to be a vein to be excavated in the old mining basin. For the area, shared between Nord and Pas-de-Calais, “mineral gas is a competitive asset”, believes Pierre-Emmanuel Gibson, deputy mayor of Béthune in charge of the energy transition.

Fixed price

The reserves of firedamp in the immense network of galleries left by coal mining – some 100,000 km – are estimated by some experts to be around 150 years old. In Béthune, combined with waste incineration, the use of mine gas makes it possible to heat most public buildings and reduce the heating bill of 6,500 homes by 41%, or approximately €450 per year per household. The city is pleased that 88% of its heating network is now running on recovered energy, with some natural gas supplementation during the winter period.

Béthune has signed a 22-year fixed-price contract with Dalkia, a subsidiary of the EDF group, which finances this €25 million project for the operation of the gisou. It is also Dalkia that transforms the gas, captured at three sites a few kilometers apart and then transported by the French energy company:

“Avoid the emission of 293,000 tons of CO2 per year”

Beyond the economic interest, the exploitation of firedamp could also make it possible to limit the environmental impacts, affirm those in favor of its exploitation. At Béthune, the system that combines firedamp and energy recovery “avoids the emission of 293,000 tons of CO2 per year,” says Pierre-Emmanuel Gibson. “It is better to recover the methane, exploit it and use it than to let it escape,” explains Inès Bouacida, an energy researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI).

To avoid the “pressure cooker” effect in the galleries, currently a hundred vents release this gas into the atmosphere in the area. But firedamp “is a fossil gas like conventional gas. As such, it cannot be considered an energy of the future or a green energy”, clarifies Inès Bouacida. Nor is it “a very abundant gas”. “Their deposits are not significant enough to cover the needs of 500 TWh for the entire French territory,” says the researcher.

However, the example of Béthune arouses vocations in the old mining area, particularly in Avion or Haisnes. The Association of Mining Municipalities of France (Acom) has once again called for the development of this energy source, “while the war in Ukraine is creating a lasting ‘energy crisis’ with the obligation of France and Europe to face supply challenges” . . But to extend this exploitation, the association and the local authorities complain that they are still waiting for the green light from the State.

“Although there are development projects, we have not received authorizations to start work since 2018,” laments Jean-Pierre Kucheida, president of Acom and former deputy and mayor of Liévin. Additional obstacle: since 2021, with a reform of the Mining Code, it is no longer the State, but the operators, who are responsible in case of accidents in the old mining operations. As a result, project leaders don’t push each other.