Patrick Pouyanne, chief executive of TotalEnergies. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National
Patrick Pouyanne, chief executive of TotalEnergies. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National
Patrick Pouyanne, chief executive of TotalEnergies. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National
Patrick Pouyanne, chief executive of TotalEnergies. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

French oil major TotalEnergies sees promising future in battery business, CEO says


Alkesh Sharma
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TotalEnergies, which launched the largest battery-based energy storage site in France in December, aims to create a profitable stream of business from its batteries operations, the company’s chief executive said on Monday.

Batteries are a “new fuel” for electric vehicles, Patrick Pouyanne, who is also the chairman of the company’s board, said during a talk on energy transition at CeraWeek in Houston.

“You can create a lot of value if you can store electricity that you produce," Mr Pouyanne said.

"For us, battery is an important part in the value chain in establishing a profitable electricity player.

“We have established JV [joint venture] with Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis to produce batteries … we are convinced it will be a new way to produce value, an important technology for electric mobility and an important part of energy transition."

TotalEnergies has linked up with mobility solutions provider Stellantis and German car maker Mercedes-Benz to establish Automotive Cells Company. AP
TotalEnergies has linked up with mobility solutions provider Stellantis and German car maker Mercedes-Benz to establish Automotive Cells Company. AP

The French integrated oil and gas company TotalEnergies has entered an agreement with Dutch provider of innovative mobility solutions Stellantis and German car maker Mercedes-Benz to establish Automotive Cells Company (ACC).

They aim to increase ACC’s industrial capacity to at least 120 gigawatt hours by the end of this decade.

The initiative is supported by the French, German and European authorities, to create a European battery champion for electric vehicles.

Global battery market size is expected to reach $310.8 billion by 2027, growing at a compound annual rate of 14.1 per cent, according to the US-based market research and consulting company Grand View Research.

Technological advancements in terms of enhanced efficiency and cost reduction are likely to open new paths for the global battery market in the coming years, industry experts say.

TotalEnergies adopted a new identity last year, signalling a new phase in its transition to net zero.

“People in the company are very happy with this move because it is way to stay aligned with the society’s expectations," Mr Pouyanne said.

“Fundamentally, we continue to produce oil and gas, but we have decided that we must be a leader in energy transition … our strategic move is to become electricity and renewables producer and supplier.”

As part of its ambition to reach net zero by 2050, TotalEnergies is building a portfolio of activities in renewables and electricity.

At the end of 2021, the company’s gross renewable electricity generation capacity was more than 10GW.

As part of its ambition to get to net zero by 2050, TotalEnergies is building a portfolio of activities in renewables and electricity. PA
As part of its ambition to get to net zero by 2050, TotalEnergies is building a portfolio of activities in renewables and electricity. PA

It aims to expand this business to reach 35GW of gross-production capacity from renewable sources and storage by 2025, and then 100GW by 2030, with the objective of being among the world's top five producers of electricity from wind and solar energy, the company said.

It is serious about expanding in Africa and ensuring a “sustainable growth” in the continent.

“Africa is blessed with natural resources," Mr Pouyanne said. "Our expansion and energy development in the continent is part of the sustainable development … getting people out of the poverty in a sustainable way.

"We are out there to bring energy and develop shared values and shared prosperity that is our mission as a company."

Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies employs nearly 105,000 people.

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Engine: Duel electric motors
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

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The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

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A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Saudi Cup race day

Schedule in UAE time

5pm: Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors Cup (Turf), 5.35pm: 1351 Cup (T), 6.10pm: Longines Turf Handicap (T), 6.45pm: Obaiya Arabian Classic for Purebred Arabians (Dirt), 7.30pm: Jockey Club Handicap (D), 8.10pm: Samba Saudi Derby (D), 8.50pm: Saudia Sprint (D), 9.40pm: Saudi Cup (D)

MATCH INFO

Everton v Tottenham, Sunday, 8.30pm (UAE)

Match is live on BeIN Sports

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Ireland 125 all out

(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)

UAE 125 for 5

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UAE won by five wickets

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A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.

One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait,  Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.

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The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.

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India team for Sri Lanka series

Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan

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match details

Wales v Hungary

Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm

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Unresolved crisis

Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.

Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.

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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
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  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
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Updated: March 07, 2022, 11:37 PM`