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A bold and visionary decision

The Compagnie Française des Pétrole was founded on 28 March 1924 in France, a country without access to crude oil. That bold and visionary move marked the company's beginning of a century-long history. To ensure France's energy supply, the company established commercial relationships around the world, adapting to market needs. The firm kept growing throughout a century - this process has been marked by numerous technological and geopolitical turmoil.

Pioneers for 100 years

Unlike its competitors at the time, the company did not have access to local deposits  thus, it gained a competitive advantage in foreign expansion and technological innovation. These two factors shaped the pioneering spirit  over the years, boundaries have been continually pushed—both technical and geographical—while adapting to changing customer needs and expectations. The company accompanied the extraordinary progress and development in modernist society in the 20th century. The company has also gained additional knowledge and experience by joining forces with Petrofina and Elf-Aquitaine, and more recently with Maersk Oil, Saft and Direct Energie.

Transformation into a multi-energy company

While oil dominated the 20th century, natural gas and decarbonized energy will play key roles in the energy system of tomorrow. Natural gas is essential for the energy transition. It supports the development of renewable energy sources and can substitute for coal, which emits twice as much CO2 during energy generation. TotalEnergies is currently the world's third largest player in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) segment.  We are also one of the most dynamically developing companies in the world in the electricity segment: i.e. solar and wind. Electricity is at the heart of decarbonization, and the 21st century will certainly be marked with this trend.

Stimulating the energy transformation

Since 2020, the company has consistently implemented a transformation strategy based on two pillars: hydrocarbons (including LNG) and electricity. Their ambition is to transform and support our customers in their energy transformation successfully. The daily challenge is to provide the world with the affordable energy it needs to thrive while reducing emissions. This is an “orderly, just and equitable transition” resulting from COP28;  tapping into the pioneering spirit that has guided the company since its creation, it will continue to adapt to market needs and, where necessary, transform to be part of energy history for the next 100 years!

(ŁK)