Alternative Energy

We are also active in international coal trading through our Total Gas & Power, Total Energy Resources (Pacific) and CDF Énergie (France) subsidiaries.

We are able to make the most of both R&D and production synergies among our different businesses because the thermochemical conversion processes used for coal draw on skills and expertise very similar to those we deploy in refining and petrochemicals.

As a global leader in petroleum product marketing, we know everything there is to know about the potential markets for these new coal-based automotive and other fuels. We are also a major electricity trader in European markets.

With our expanded capabilities, cross-disciplinary approach and financial ability to invest in highly capital-intensive sectors, we are well positioned to play a leading role in bringing new coal conversion processes to the commercial stage, in conjunction with cost-effective, efficient carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Identifying the most sustainable options

By 2030, the thermochemical conversion of coal into synthetic oil and gas or alternative fuels could supply between 2.5 and 3 million barrels of oil equivalent per day.

Some thermochemical conversion processes, for example for methanol, ammonia and hydrogen, are largely tried and tested. The Fischer-Tropsch process for synthesizing liquid hydrocarbons dates back to the first half of the twentieth century. Its use is widespread in South Africa, where about a third of liquid fuels are already produced from coal. China is also taking a close interest in this range of technologies.

One of the resources Total has created is a European research network focused on new Fischer-Tropsch synthesis methods using coal and biomass-based syngas. The goal is to optimize the energy efficiency of the processes and bring them more closely in line with future environmental standards.

Another eventual possibility is polygeneration plants, which co-produce power, hydrogen and other gases.

But in addition to the carbon issue, the various options on the table need to be further optimized in a number of ways before they can provide appropriate solutions to the challenge of energy diversification. We must find ways to cut their resource consumption and make them more efficient. Right now, the investment cost of producing a barrel a day using this type of process can exceed $100,000 to $150,000.

Total is focusing on achieving these goals, in partnership with other industrial operators and a number of research organizations. In the area of power generation, for example, a new thermochemical process may provide a much less energy-intensive way to capture carbon. We are partnering with the French Petroleum Institute (IFP) to develop chemical-looping combustion technology using a variety of energy sources such as coal and heavy fuel oil.

Carbon capture and storage: a core issue that is a strategic priority for Total

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) refers to a range of technologies for separating carbon dioxide from industrial effluent, then transporting, injecting and confining the carbon in stable deep geological formations for very long periods of time.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), CCS could handle 20 to 40% of the world’s carbon emissions by 2030.

Trapping carbon dioxide safely and efficiently is an absolute priority of our research. We need to boost the reliability of this promising solution, lower its cost and ensure its long-term viability, while at the same time helping to draft an appropriate regulatory framework.

Already a partner in carbon injection projects on two producing fields in Norway, we are also participating in a number of international projects exploring all aspects of the issue.

In the Lacq Basin in southwestern France, we are conducting a trial of the first end-to-end CCS chain based on oxy-fuel combustion, injecting the carbon into a depleted reservoir.