This document was prepared in the frame of a support program for the french Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy (MEDDE). It is dedicated to underground storage fields regulated by the Article L211-2 of the French Mining Code, namely underground storages of “natural gas, liquid, liquefied or gaseous hydrocarbons, or industrial chemicals products."

It aims to be a guide summarizing the methodological rules for the development of safety studies, risk assessment and land use planning associated with such storages. Its scope is intentionally restricted to the specific facilities of underground storages, namely the reservoir, the well, the ground/surface interface and the underground pipes. The other surface facilities, located in particular on the central station are not addressed.
This guide is intended for operators and instructors of safety studies and presents generic rules. It cannot replace the specific risk assessment to be carried out in the particular context of a specific site