So that the war in Ukraine has made the energy independence of France and Europe a major issue, an SME specializing in gas production is once again advancing its pawns. For four years, the Française de l’Energie has been waiting for the government’s decision to launch its gas extraction project in Moselle, 50 kilometers from Metz. It provides for the establishment of around forty platforms spread over around thirty municipalities, i.e. 191 square kilometres.
This layer gas – mainly methane – contained in coal seams under the soil of Moselle is a boon for the territory, assures François Lavergne, president of the community of municipalities of the urban district of Faulquemont: “It’s a source of energy that we have, which can be exploited at stable costs since it’s French costs, distribution in a short circuit. We will not be subject to the international market – and we see how it works at the moment.”
“You have to start it saying that it won’t be forever. But today, we are experiencing the energy crisis because we are not producing, we have stopped”.
François Lavergne, president of the community of communes of Faulquemontat franceinfo
This extraction of fossil energy would however have long-term consequences for the region, warns the association for the protection of the environment Apel57. “We are presenting a project where we would transform Lorraine into Texas, quips Anaëlle Lantonnois, volunteer. But we risk sacrificing Lorraine, drinking water, quality of life and the living environment with kilometers of drains. I let you imagine the thousands of kilometers of Gruyère that there would be in Lorraine with this type of exploitation”.
According to Appel57, the products used for this drilling project would be very dangerous and the risk of pollution cannot be excluded, adds Anaelle Lantonnois: “From the moment we inject several tons of chemicals, there is bound to be an impact. In addition to the fact that it is methane that we would look for in places where it would not have ended up in the atmosphere. : once again, we are fueling climate change.”
In June 2021, around sixty elected officials had published a forum on franceinfo to oppose the ambitions of the SME based in the North. Representatives of EELV, the Socialist Party but also of La République en Marche. They demanded the opening of a new public inquiry considering that the first, conducted from September 10 to October 13, 2020, had been too short.
At the Grand Est Region, Eliane Romani, leader of the environmental group, also wonders about the viability of the project: “The capabilities of the company, and financial and technical, have not been proven until now. It is surely speculation. The fact of having had an authorization makes it possible to value shares on the stock market.” the chosen one fact reference to the presence of the Française de l’Énergie among the companies listed on the Paris Stock Exchange. The environmental opposition to the region sent a letter on Thursday, May 26, to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to ask her not to grant this operating permit. The state’s response to the Moselle gas extraction project is expected before June.