The Lorraine mining basin is about to write a new chapter in its history.

This region, located on the French-German border, was previously best known for its coal, salt, and iron mines. Because Lorraine had significant underground reserves, it became one of the symbols of France's industrial heritage. Over 150 years, nearly 800 million tons of coal were extracted to support the country's development.

In the future, Lorraine could become world-famous for other major energy sources hidden underground: natural hydrogen dissolved in water and low-carbon methane contained in unexploited coal seams.

This local resource, which is directly exploitable and located close to industrial areas and existing infrastructure, opens up new prospects for the region. It represents not only a concrete response to climate challenges, but also an opportunity to create jobs, support economic development, and enhance the influence of the entire region.

This is now the shared conviction of FDE, the Grand Est Region, the departments of Moselle and Meurthe-et-Moselle, the French government, Europe, and the CNRS, which have been working together since 2012 to demonstrate the energy potential of the Lorraine subsoil and to organize the production of these new energies.