TotalEnergies teams with French farmers on renewables

TotalEnergies today said it has formed a partnership with the French federation of farmers' unions (FNSEA) to develop renewable energy, including biofuels and biomethane, one of three moves it took this week to further its energy transition strategy.

The link with FNSEA aims to develop projects to produce renewable power from agrivoltaic installations, produce biomethane from agricultural waste, and manufacture biofuels from agricultural residues or "low greenhouse gas" crops.

Earlier this week TotalEnergies said it had started production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from wastes and residues at its 240,000 b/d Gonfreville refinery, adding to existing output at its Oudalle and La Mede facilities. It also said it would invest $50mn in the Tropical Asia Forest Fund 2 project, managed by nature-based investment firm New Forests. The project, which invests in native forest conservation across southeast Asia, will allow TotalEnergies to access "carbon sinks," it said.

TotalEnergies is targeting net zero emissions by 2050. It plans to spend $100mn annually to build a portfolio of projects capable of generating carbon credits worth a minimum of 5mn t/CO2 equivalent per year by 2030. The credits will be used after 2030 to offset the company's scope 1 and 2 emissions.

But not everyone is convinced. Several complainants, including environmental law firm ClientEarth and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Greenpeace and Notre Affaire A Tous, this week launched a court case against TotalEnergies for what Greenpeace terms "misleading commercial practices following the group's misleading communications on its climate commitments." TotalEnergies' activity is in direct conflict with its aim to be carbon neutral by 2050, Greenpeace said, given fossil fuels still represent 90pc of its activity and 80pc of its investments.

Around half of TotalEnergies' spending last year went to oil, and the other half to "growth" sectors — in which it includes gas and LNG.

By Georgia Gratton