Total Looks to Offshore Wind as Part of Sustainability Drive
Total, Ørsted and Elicio submitted a joint bid for the Dunkirk offshore wind farm project in France for a power capacity of up to 600MW on Monday.
The bid is Total's first serious foray into offshore wind and another move towards greater sustainability. To date, the energy major had been focusing on solar for its renewable energy business with the $1.3 billion acquisition of SunPower and a stake in solar and wind energy producer Total Eren.
"Total's participation in this offshore wind bid is in line with our strategy to develop low-carbon electricity business in Europe,” said Philippe Sauquet, President Gas, Renewables and Power at Total. “Our recognized offshore oil and gas know-how combined with Ørsted market-leading expertise across the offshore wind energy value chain, as well as that of Elicio, an experienced developer qualified from the beginning of the bid, provide a solid foundation for success of a safe and competitive project.”
Total also announced that it had acquired Synova, a French leader in manufacturing high-performance recycled polypropylene for the automotive sector, on Monday. Synova produces 20,000 tons per year of polypropylene that meets the highest quality standards of original equipment manufacturers and automakers from recycled plastics.
“By contributing to the lighter weight of vehicles, plastics improve their energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. Producing them from recycled materials will also meet the challenge of managing their end of life,” said Bernard Pinatel, President Refining & Chemicals, Total. “The acquisition of Synova is a concrete proof of our commitment to developing plastic recycling. It reinforces the activities we already carry out in recycling and contributes to Total’s ambition to be the responsible energy major.”
Total is a founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, which brings together nearly 30 companies from across the plastics and consumer goods value chain. They are committed over $1.0 billion with the goal of investing $1.5 billion over the next five years to help end plastic waste pollution in the environment, particularly in the oceans.
The Group is working on all types of plastic recycling. For example, Total produces Circular Compounds®, polypropylene and polyethylene containing at least 50 percent recycled materials and offering the same properties as virgin polymers. Total is also associated with Citeo, Saint-Gobain and Syndifrais in a project aiming to establish a polystyrene recycling system in France by 2020.
In addition, Total is one of the world leaders in bioplastics. Its joint venture Total Corbion PLA owns a plant in Thailand with a capacity of 75,000 tons per year of PLA, a 100 percent biobased, recyclable and biodegradable bioplastic.