About us

As a prerequisite to the creation of the storage caverns, the building of the pipelines and surface facilities began in 1967.

The construction work involved the building of:

1. A 15 km water supply pipeline linking Villeneuve and Passaire (Géosel site);
2. The Passaire (Manosque) storage facility;
3. A pumping station at Villeneuve, to supply water to the Passaire site;
4. A pumping station at Lavéra to transport hydrocarbons to Passaire;
5. A relay pumping station at Rognac (Berre);
6. Hydrocarbon delivery stations at Lavéra, La Mède and Fos-sur-Mer.

The “Manosque I” project began on October 2, 1967, with the drilling of the first cavern. Eighteen caverns were dug the same year, in several phases. They began to be filled with petroleum products on July 15, 1969.

The “Manosque II” project was launched on October 12, 1972, leading to the  leaching of 17 new  storage caverns. The project doubled the pipelines capacity to cope with the need to expand the storage facility.

To this end, a new pipeline between the Passaire (Manosque) station and the Etang de Berre was laid in November 1973. Works were completed in 1974 with the connection of the Rognac Géopipe station to the Shell refinery in Berre.

The first oil crisis in 1973 led to an increase of the input and output volumes in and out of  Manosque storage facility, initially designed for a limited number of operations, Geosel’s operations as we know them today began.

In 1975, the GSM2 pipeline is extended to the Lavalduc and Engrenier basins.

Two new pumping stations are built at Engrenier and Lavalduc.

Brine is then used  to enable regular inflows and outflows of petroleum products. This hydraulic compensation mechanism, base don brine, becomes a major asset for Géosel.

The development of “Manosque II”, supplemented by a new cavern, continues until 1983.

The creation of the Parc Naturel Régional du Luberon (PNRL) aims to protect the natural and cultural assets of the Luberon. Local biodiversity, traditions and specific know-how are the focus of much attention. The PNRL project is thus part of a sustainable development and environmental preservation approach.

Since then, Géosel, located in the heart of the park, has taken great care to ensure that this sensitive natural environment and its industrial activity coexist respectfully.

In 1988, the common interests of Géosel and Gaz de France (then 100% owned by the French state) led to the signing, in autumn 1988, of long-term agreements for the conversion of seven cavities to natural gas storage.

Géométhane, with equal shareholding by Geostock and Gaz de France, was created on June 5, 1989.

Law no. 2003-8 of January 3, 2003 incorporated all the previous 1958 provisions into the French Mining Code and defined the legal framework for underground hydrocarbon storage in France. It is these provisions, specified by several decrees, that apply today.

In 2004, a filtration unit and a sea outfall were built to evacuate leaching brines.

A new pipeline, the Sagess Manosque Pipeline, was commissioned on November 9, 2007.

On May 1, 2010, a pipeline rupture led to a naphtha leak that caused soil pollution. The incident led to the intensification of the plant renovation plan.

In June 2012, a new building was inaugurated on the Manosque site. Two new cavities are commissioned in 2013 and 2014.

In 2015, Géosel’s shareholder base changed significantly with the arrival of a new shareholder: TSH (Transport Stockage Hydrocarbures).

Géosel palys a significant role  in France’s energy security. The stocks hosted by Géosel are regularly mobilized to respond to oil product supply crises, particularly during periods of international geopolitical tension.

Since 2016, Géosel has been committed to its own and the region’s green transition, working to reduce its environmental footprint and exploring its ability to extend its know-how to other forms of energy, both decarbonized and renewable, such as hydrogen, for example.

Géosel’s capacities can store up to two months’ worth of French petroleum products.