New study reveals geological facility’s value to UK economy

The National Geological Repository (NGR) is a gateway to our shared subsurface. It is the UK’s most comprehensive collection of geological materials, consisting of over 16 million specimens and assembled over 200 years. For the first time, an economic valuation report has brought into focus the scale of the National Geological Repository’s impact on major infrastructure projects.

Located at BGS’s headquarters in Keyworth, the NGR is home to the UK’s largest core storage and examination facility. Of particular value to industry and infrastructure projects are over 600 km of pre-drilled core from around the UK, which provide considerable cost and time-saving benefits.

The economic analysis shows that the NGR has delivered:

• £1.5 billion in avoided drilling and analysis costs for major energy and infrastructure projects over the last 20 years
• Up to 36 times return on investment based on costs of maintaining the facility
• Time-savings of around three years per infrastructure project through access to legacy core samples

For more information, including access to the report, please visit our website. 

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Upcoming events 

Sands of Change: The Global Challenges of Sand Mining

Wednesday 3 December - 8.30am to 6pm

Sand is one of the most important industrial raw materials on the planet and is the second most utilised resource on Earth, after water.

For many, sand is seen as a freely available and easily extracted material, however the mismanagement of sand can create huge economic and ecological issues. Illegal sand mining and extraction is now an industry worth an estimated $200 to 350 billion per year. 

Geoscience can play a crucial role in the monitoring and management of both legal and illegal sand resources, from sourcing the location of deposits, understanding the chemical and physical properties of sand, through to modelling the impacts of extraction and understanding how we can reduce our reliance on sand for a sustainable future.

Join us on 3 December as we discuss the sand mining trade and how we can create a more sustainable practice, and potentially reduce future dependence on sand.

> Register for your ticket online.