Natural Gas

Natural gas is primarily used for heating and power generation, and its consumption is seasonal. Storing gas in tightly monitored underground infrastructure ensures uninterrupted supply and the ability to respond safely to demand peaks. We are expert in all aspects of gas storage and have been adding to our knowledge and skills for more than 50 years.

An essential balancing tool

Natural gas storage fulfills two requirements. It adjusts supply to demand, which is closely tied to weather conditions and therefore highly seasonal. And by smoothing out supply flows, it allows us to size the other links in the chain — production, processing and treatment, transmission — appropriately, thereby optimizing our investments in them.

Exploiting subsurface properties

One of the most tried-and-tested storage solutions is using the sand strata of aquifers. The geological properties of these underground reservoirs make them suitable for storing large quantities of natural gas at sufficient pressure and under maximum tightness and safety conditions, without any risk that the gas will escape laterally or rise to the surface. The gas is injected into aquifers in the summer, after being compressed. It is drawn off when the weather is cold, to supply transmission and distribution networks.

Through our subsidiary TIGF , we manage two aquifer storage facilities, in Lussagnet and Izaute in southwestern France, at depths of 500 to 900 meters. They are located in a sparsely populated rural area with a low seismic risk. They are so seamlessly integrated into their surroundings that their new, unobtrusive surface buildings were awarded the High Environmental Quality (HQE®) label in 2008.

TIGF draws on all of our geosciences expertise and also works closely with a number of university partners to ensure that gas storage has no adverse impact on the aquifer.

To buttress our direct experience as a operator, we also have an interest in Géostock , a company that designs, builds and operates underground storage facilities for natural gas and liquid and liquefied hydrocarbons. It is an international leader in its field.

Efficient, upgraded storage facilities

The Lussagnet storage facility came on stream the same time as the Lacq gas production plant, in 1957, in order to regulate production flows. Its capacity has since quadrupled. The Izaute facility was built in the 1980s in response to growing demand. The gas stored at both sites comes from northern Europe and Russia, as well as Algeria and Nigeria, by way of LNG terminals on France’s Mediterranean and Atlantic seaboards.

With a working capacity of 2.4 billion cubic meters, they account for over 20% of the country’s storage potential, or the equivalent of 25 terawatt-hours. In 2008, the government authorized Total to launch a sweeping program to upgrade and rescale the facilities. Spread out over a period of 11 years, the project will expand Lussagnet’s capacity from 2.4 billion cubic meters to 3.5 billion cubic meters.

This capital program will strengthen a major European gas crossroads, to create more efficient markets and develop a competitive energy industry.