TotalEnergies To Sustain Energy Transition, Clocks 100 Years

TotalEnergies’ 100,000 employees in 120 countries worldwide are proudly celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Company’s creation.

TotalEnergies’ 100-year history tells the story of the world and energy, from the 1920s to the present day.

On March 28, 1924, Compagnie Française des Pétroles was founded in France, a country without any oil. This bold and visionary move marked the start of a century-long saga. To secure France’s energy supply, our company would travel to the four corners of the globe, adapting and growing throughout the century and its many technological and geopolitical upheavals.

Unlike its rivals of the day, the firm did not have access to local resources and that is why it built its competitive advantage on international expansion and technical prowess. 

These two factors have shaped the company’s pioneer spirit and its journey to this day. 

Over the years, TotalEnergies continuously pushed back the boundaries – both technical and geographical – while also adapting to changing needs and customer expectations. This is how we accompanied the remarkable progress and development that took place in modern society during the 20th century. 

The Energy giant also acquired additional expertise and experience by teaming up with Petrofina and Elf-Aquitaine, and more recently with Maersk Oil, Saft or Direct Energie.

While oil was the energy of the 20th century, natural gas and decarbonized power are central to the energy system of tomorrow. 

Natural gas is necessary to the energy transition, as a support for the rise of intermittent renewables and as a substitute for coal, which emits twice as much CO2 in power generation. 

Reportedly, TotalEnergies is currently the world’s third-largest player in liquefied natural gas (LNG). And in electricity, the company is one of the most dynamic solar and wind power developers in the world. Electricity is the energy at the heart of decarbonization and the 21st century will clearly be electric.

Since 2020, TotalEnergies has been resolutely implementing a transition strategy anchored around two pillars: hydrocarbons (including LNG) and electricity and drives the ambition to successfully achieve its transition and support our customers with theirs. Our challenge is to supply the world with the affordable energy required for its development while also reducing emissions.

That is the “just, orderly and equitable” transition called for by COP28. 

Drawing on the pioneer spirit that guides us, we will continue to adjust and adapt as needed to be part of the story of energy for another 100 years.