TotalEnergies Celebrates 100 Years of Operation
On Thursday28,2024, TotalEnergies’ 100,000 employees in 120 countries worldwide celebrated 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.
A bold and visionary decision
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.
Pioneers for 100 years
Unlike our rivals of the day, we did not have access to local resources. That is why we built
our competitive advantage on international expansion and technical prowess. These two
factors have shaped our pioneer spirit and our journey to this day. Over the years, we have
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. We also acquired additional expertise and experience by teaming up with Petrofina
and Elf-Aquitaine, and more recently with Maersk Oil, Saft or Direct Energie.
Becoming a multi-energy company
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. TotalEnergies is currently the world’s third-largest player
in liquefied natural gas (LNG). And in electricity, we are 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.
Driving the energy transition
Since 2020, we have been resolutely implementing a transition strategy anchored around two
pillars: hydrocarbons (including LNG) and electricity. We have the ambition to successfully
achieve our 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!