Five NGOs committed to the climate held a press conference on April 29 when the CEO of TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné, was about to be interviewed by the Senate committee investigating the group’s climate impact. . These are Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Our Business, Reclaim Finance and 350.org.
TotalEnergies, the subject of a senatorial commission of inquiry for several weeks, is at the center of all the criticism from these NGOs. The French group is accused of being involved in “33 climate bombs”, that is to say oil or gas projects that can emit more than a billion tonnes of CO2 each (i.e. more than twice the total annual CO2 emissions of France).
While France has set itself the objective of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% in 2030 compared to 2012, “in 2022, its consumption of road fuels increased by 2.3% and that of kerosene by 36%”.
The exit from oil in France in 2040-2045 is therefore “far from committed” while the coal exit “was postponed by Emmanuel Macron from 2022 to 2027”. The NGOs also note that none of the three official documents “yet essential” intended to mark the trajectory of France’s ecological transition has not been adopted (multi-year energy programming, national low carbon strategy, national plan for adaptation to climate change). Which does not fail to worry the High Council for the climate of a “risk of decline” of French ambition.
The role of TotalEnergies in fossil gas imports
The rebound in fossil gas consumption – “falsely presented as a transition fuel” – of which France is “the third largest consumer in Europe”, testifies to this. NGOs see, here again, the role of TotalEnergies, which is still honoring a major contract with the Russian Yamal terminal, while being “the leading exporter of American shale gas”. The French giant has even just strengthened its position there by acquiring stakes in the Eagle Ford basin.
At the same time as the executive, TotalEnergies is the main target of NGOs who believe that “despite the stated intention of becoming a responsible energy major, is engaged in a logic of fossil expansion which is leading the planet to climatic chaos.”
While the senatorial commission of inquiry wanted by the ecologist Yannick Jadot, but chaired by Roger Karoutchi (LR) continues its work, the NGOs are not slowing down. “There is a real risk that out of political will, this senatorial commission will not get to the bottom of the issues, that it will publish a report which will not describe reality, or even that it will not publish a report at all, due to of consensus, » alarms Juliette Renaud, from Friends of the Earth.
“The reality is that TotalEnergies has not started a real energy transition, asserts Edina Ifticène, from Greenpeace. Renewables remain in the minority since 98% of the energy produced by the group comes from oil and fossil gas, wrongly presented as a transition energy. And its CEO Patrick Pouyanné undertakes to increase its fossil production by 2 to 3% per year. And even to devote a third of investments to new deposits until 2030. »
Investors pinned
Antoine Laurent, from Reclaim Finance, recalls that the fight of NGOs “should not be caricatured. What we are asking for is not an abrupt end to oil and gas. This is because the transition to renewables is really taking place and we are no longer investing in new fossil projects. The International Energy Agency has already said that we can and must do without it. »
The criticism also affects “banks as well as major investors in companies listed on the stock exchange such as insurers, EDF or BPI France”. Gold “none with the exception of Banque Postale has made the decision to stop investing in fossils,” denounces Antoine Laurent.
Unfortunately, TotalEnergies’ strategy “is only managed to serve shareholders”, deplores Justine Ripol, from Notre Affaire à Tous. What is serious is that the State is complicit when Emmanuel Macron and the entire network of embassies put themselves at the service of TotalEnergies projects, as recently for gas projects in Mozambique or Papua New Guinea. »
Patrick Pouyanné defends his strategy
For Justine Ripol, “the State, instead of claiming its support for a supposed French “champion”, should dissociate itself from it, because by supporting a group which has known since 1971 that its production harms the planet, it incurs its own responsibility”.
The State should therefore “adopt new regulations” For “put TotalEnergies out of harm’s way”, estimates Soraya Fettih, of 350.org. “TotalEnergies cannot be considered, today, as part of the solution to the energy transition. Governance must be democratized and the State must transform this group into a company that is truly of general interest. “.
A statement that should ring in the ears of Patrick Pouyanné. This raises the possibility – or the threat – that the main listing location for TotalEnergies will no longer be Paris but Wall Street, in the United States, where investors are less cautious.
Before the Senate committee, Patrick Pouyanné defended his strategy. Hydrocarbons, “fundamentally, this is what brings us profits today (…) and if I want to invest in system B (carbon-free energies, Editor’s note) I have to get the money from somewhere (…) and so we continue to invest in system A”explained the CEO.
“If we don’t invest in the oil system and it’s the same for gas, we will have a decline in supply and at that point, prices go sky high”, also justified the group’s boss, questioned at length about gas, a priority of the group. He notably defended the role of his liquefied gas (LNG) contracts transported by ship from Russia for Europe’s gas supply needs while Moscow cut off the tap on historic gas transported by pipelines.
