Our Businesses

Upstream

The Upstream business encompasses oil and natural gas exploration, development and production, along with our coal, gas and power activities. Exploration and Production has activities in more than 40 countries with production in 30 of these countries. Our main production regions are the North Sea, Africa and the Middle East, followed by Southeast Asia and North and South America.

  • Exploration & Production 2/4 M treatment and production platform on Ekofisk field in the North Sea The Ekofisk platform in the North Sea.
  • Exploration & Production Aerial view of the Anguille platform offshore Gabon Aerial view of the AGMP platform on the Anguille field, offshore Gabon.
  • Exploration & Production Dalia FPSO, Angola The floating production storage and offloading unit on Angola’s deep offshore Dalia field.
  • Exploration & Production Elgin wellhead and PUQ platforms in the U.K. Located offshore Scotland, Elgin-Franklin comprises two well-head platforms (Elgin and Franklin) and a production, utilities and quarters (PUQ) platform.
  • Exploration & Production Helipad on the Alima FPU on the offshore Moho-Bilondo field, Republic of the Congo. Helipad on the Alima floating production unit on the deep-offshore Moho-Bilondo field (Republic of the Congo).
  • Exploration & Production Akpo FPSO in tow. The Akpo floating production, storage and offloading unit in tow offshore Nigeria.
  • Exploration & Production D-Island, one of Kashagan icebound artificial islands D-Island, one of Kashagan icebound artificial islands.
  • Exploration & Production Pazflor FPSO offshore Angola The Pazflor floating production storage and offloading unit is located at about 150 kilometers offshore the Congolese coasts, in water depths ranging from 600 to 1,200 meters.
  • Exploration & Production Girassol platform. The MSV Regalia accomodation and service rig on the deepwater Girassol field offshore Angola.
  • Exploration & Production Aerial view of the loading jetty at the PetroCedeño upgrader, Venezuela Aerial view of the loading jetty for petcoke and sulfur at the Petrocedeno upgrader in José, Venezuela.
  • Exploration & Production Saibos FDS on the Rosa field offshore Angola The Saibos FDS crane and pipelay vessel, used for ultra-deep subsea work on the Rosa field, offshore Angola.
  • Exploration & Production Aerial view of the Snohvit plant offshore Norway Aerial view of the offshore Snohvit liquefied natural gas plant on Melkoya island, Norway, with an LNG carrier nearby.
  • Exploration & Production Shah-Deniz field in the Caspian Sea The Shah-Deniz field, in the Caspian sea, offshore Azerbaïdjan.
  • Exploration & Production Torpille Platform off Port-Gentil in Gabon Aerial view of Torpille platform, offshore Port-Gentil in Gabon.
  • Exploration & Production The Total Centre Scientifique et Technique Jean Feger in Pau (France) The Jean Feger Scientific and Technical Center in Pau (France) specializes in geological and oil and gas research.
  • Gas & Power Pipe rack at the Balhaf plant, Yemen The central pipe rack for liquefaction trains 1 & 2, during construction of the Balhaf plant in Yemen. The plant will be supplied feed gas via a 325-kilometer pipeline.
  • Gas & Power The GasAndes pipeline, which crosses the Andes to link the Argentine grid to Santiago in Chile The 460-km Gasandes pipeline crosses the Andes to link Argentine’s grid to Santiago in Chile.
  • Gas & Power Izaute natural gas storage center, southwestern France TIGF natural gas center of Izaute in southwestern France.
  • Gas & Power Seawater intake at the Taweelah A1 desalination unit, United Arab Emirates Seawater intake at the Taweelah A1 desalination unit in Abu Dhabi.
  • Gas & Power Le Houga building in Lussagnet, France Photovoltaic solar installations for the new High Environmental Quality buildings at the Lussagnet gas storage center in France. View of Le Houga Building.
  • Gas & Power Area around Lussagnet, France Rapeseed fields nearby Lussagnet gas storage center in France.
  • Gas & Power Spent fuel pool in La Hague, France Pool E used to store spent fuel in the Areva spent fuel reprocessing plant in La Hague, near Cherbourg in France.
  • Gas & Power Mechanical shovel at the Forzando South mine, South Africa Coal extraction at the Forzando South Mine in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province.
  • Gas & Power DiMethyl-Ether (DME) promotion View of the DME (DiMethylEther) promotion plant of Niigata in Japan.
  • 2.35 Mboe/d of hydrocarbons produced in 2011
  • 11.4 Bboe of proved reserves as of December 31, 2011(1)
  • Capital expenditure for 2011: €21.7 billion
  • 23,563 employees

For the full year 2011, adjusted net operating income from the Upstream segment was €10,405 million compared to €8,597 million in 2010, an increase of 21%. Expressed in dollars, adjusted net operating income from the Upstream segment was $14.5 billion, an increase of 27% compared to 2010, essentially due to the impact of higher hydrocarbon prices.

Technical costs(2) for consolidated subsidiaries, in accordance with ASC 932(3), were 18.9 $/boe(4) in 2011, compared to 16.6 $/boe in 2010. The return on average capital employed (ROACE(5)) for the Upstream segment was 20%, for the full-year 2011 compared to 21% for the full year 2010.
TOTAL’s average liquids price increased by 38% in 2011 compared to 2010 and TOTAL’s average gas price increased by 27% compared to 2010.

For the full-year 2011, hydrocarbon production was 2,346 kboe/d, a decrease of 1.3% compared to 2010, essentially as a result of:

  • -1.5% for normal decline, net of production ramp-ups on new projects;
  • +2.5% for changes in the portfolio, integrating the net share of Novatek production and impact of the sale of interests in CEPSA,
  • +1% for the end of OPEC reductions;
  • -1.5% for security conditions, mainly in Libya;
  • -2% for the price effect(6).
Proved reserves based on SEC rules (based on Brent at 110.96 $/b) were 11,423 Mboe at December 31, 2011. Based on the 2011 average rate of production, the reserve life is 13 years.
The 2011 proved reserve replacement rate(7), based on SEC rules, was 185%. As of year-end 2011, Total has a solid and diversified portfolio of proved and probable reserves(8) representing more than 20 years of reserve life based on the 2011 average production rate, and resources(9) representing more than 40 years of reserve life.

(1) Based on a Brent crude price of $110.96/b.
(2) (Production costs + exploration expenses + depreciation, depletion and amortization and valuation allowances)/production of the year.
(3) FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 932, Extractive industries – Oil and Gas.
(4) Excluding IAS 36 (impairment of assets).
(5) Calculated based on adjusted net operating income and average capital employed, using replacement cost.
(6) Impact of changing hydrocarbon prices on entitlement volumes.
(7) Change in reserves excluding production i.e. (revisions + discoveries, extensions + acquisitions – divestments) / production for the period. The reserve replacement rate would be 84% in an environment with a constant 79.02 $/b oil price, excluding acquisitions and divestments.
(8) Limited to proved and probable reserves covered by E&P contracts on fields that have been drilled and for which technical studies have demonstrated economic development in a 100 $/b Brent environment, including projects developed by mining.
(9) Proved and probable reserves plus contingent resources (potential average recoverable reserves from known accumulations - Society of Petroleum Engineers - 03/07).