New mining projects in France: Brittany targeted by industrialists
In 2024, three applications for Exclusive Mining Research Permits (PERM) filed by Breizh Ressources, a subsidiary of a Canadian group, reignited the mining war in Brittany. These new mining projects in France concern more than 360 km² at the crossroads of Ille-et-Vilaine, Morbihan, and Loire-Atlantique. According to data from the Ministry of Economy, France has seen the number of PERM applications double in the past five years, driven by the European quest for “strategic” minerals for the energy transition (source3-institutionnelle.gouv.fr).
Behind the promises of jobs and technological independence, the reality is less shiny. Modern mines have nothing to do with the industrial folklore of the past century. High-grade deposits having been exhausted, it is now necessary to extract and process millions of tons of rock for a few kilos of lithium, tungsten, or rare earths. The result: massive use of destructive chemical processes (acids, cyanides, hydrocarbons) multiplies the risks of air, soil, and groundwater pollution. The recent report from Geoderis on the old Huelgoat mine, closed in 1869, shows that pollution persists more than a century after the cessation of activities (source1-officielle.org/rapport-2024).
Faced with the opacity of procedures, mistrust is growing. Many point out the discretion of public consultations: the PERM applications filed between July and October 2023 were only revealed in 2024 thanks to the vigilance of local associations. Meanwhile, the ministry temporizes, awaits new case law, but leaves the door open to the appetite of industrialists. Is Brittany, already weakened by agro-industry, becoming the laboratory of a new gold rush, under the pretext of a green transition?
Popular resistance: when civil society opposes new mining projects in France
The announcement of new mining projects in France quickly sparked a chain reaction. Citizen collectives, environmental associations, residents, and local elected officials organized meetings, petitions, and legal appeals to block mining explorations. According to the “Stop Mines 35” collective, more than 8,000 signatures were collected in a few weeks, a sign that the protest goes beyond the usual divides (source5-terrain.com/investigation).
The specter of past environmental disasters haunts minds. At each public meeting, testimonies pour in: water pollution, disappearance of wetlands, soil collapse, real estate devaluation. Residents also denounce the lack of serious guarantees in terms of post-extraction decontamination, while the State itself is already struggling to manage the aftermath of abandoned mines. The INERIS report published in 2023 (source2-experte.com/analyse) establishes that most French mining sites remain at high risk decades after their closure.
The industrial interests behind Breizh Ressources
Who finances Breizh Ressources? Behind the facade of the start-up, we find NorthAtlantic Mining, a Canadian heavyweight accustomed to operations in areas with little regard for the environment. The complex and offshore financial setup raises the question of a flight of profits out of France. The same players, in search of lithium or tungsten, multiply permit requests up to Maine-et-Loire, taking advantage of European texts that now classify these minerals as “critical” for the energy transition industry (source4-scientifique.org/recherche).
New mining projects in France: what alternatives, what prospects?
The wave of new mining projects in France is not inevitable. Several alternatives are emerging to defend Brittany and the environment. On the legal front, recent case law on the obligation of expanded consultation gives opponents leverage to delay, or even cancel, permits. On the ground, citizen mobilization is organizing to monitor threatened areas, inform populations, and propose another development model.
Independent experts and researchers are already proposing concrete solutions: strengthen the valorization of metal recycling, invest in alternative materials, and rethink the demand for resources rather than succumbing to the extractivist logic. Brittany can become a symbol of resistance, provided that the State takes its responsibilities and stops serving as a transmission belt for industrial interests. Because behind the green veneer of the energy transition, it is indeed local democracy, public health, and biodiversity that are at stake.
Sources
https://www.oliviercretinphotographie.com/urbex/industriel/parc-des-titans/https://alternatives-projetsminiers.org/
https://www.systext.org/publications-apres-mine
