Description
In 2023, Ineris and BRGM published a best practice guideline for managing seismicity induced by deep geothermal operations. This guideline is addressed to all stakeholders in the field (operators, elected representatives and administrations) and has been elaborated at the request of the French Ministries of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion and of Energy Transition.
The aim of this guideline is to provide a methodology for assessing the hazard of induced seismicity throughout the lifecycle of a geothermal project (from exploration to closure), as well as to provide mitigation strategies to adapt geothermal operations based on the observed hazard level.
To widen the distribution of this guideline within the international community, it can be downloaded here in its English version. Although the guideline has been designed for the different types of geothermal reservoirs and operating methods encountered in France (metropolitan France, as well as overseas departments and regions), the approach proposed can be applied to different types of geothermal systems, in variable geological and geothermal contexts, and under different operating conditions. It can therefore be easily adapted to other countries.
