TotalFinaElf, Svilupo Impianti Termoelettrici S.p.A. (SITEL) and ERG Petroli have signed an agreement to study the feasibility of a project to build a power station in Italy, near Rome. The power station is to be constructed on the site of the Refinery of Rome in which TotalFinaElf (57.5%) and ERG Petroli (22.5%) are shareholders.

The technical and commercial studies will be carried out by the company Roma Energia, in which TotalFinaElf will hold 45%, SITEL 35% and ERG Petroli 20%.

The electricity produced is to be marketed in Italy, a growing market in the process of deregulation. Equipped with the latest in gas turbine technology and feeding steam and electricity to the Refinery of Rome, the new co-generation power plant, with a capacity of 800 MW, will be highly energy-efficient.

With the signing of this agreement, TotalFinaElf continues its strategy of integration in the gas-electricity chain, notably through the development of its industrial platforms. The Roma Energia project will in this way allow the Group to valorise its expertise in the field of trading and supply of gas and electricity.