Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning (SGU)
The Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU) is the central governmental agency under the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications for matters relating to the geology of Sweden and the management of mineral resources. SGU’s main task is to meet the national need of geological information, for example with respect to sustainable supplies of natural resources, spatial planning, the environment, and the total defense and national vulnerability. Information from SGU is used by exploration companies in their search for mineral resources and for the purposes of local authority planning, protection of groundwater resources, remediation of industrially contaminated soil, environmental monitoring, and locating buildings, plants, roads, bridges and railways. SGU’s five departments reflect the broadness of SGU’s expertise – an economic-political as well as an environmental-political task from the government.