Total's French retail electricity arm is on track to win 700,000 customers this year, challenging former state monopolies EDF and Engie with a low-cost, digital service it believes could mimic Uber's success in the taxi market.
Total Spring is signing up 3,500 to 4,000 customers every day, attracting them with a 10 per cent discount to the regulated price that state-controlled rival EDF must use, its director Marc Bensadoun said.
A decade after liberalisation, France's power supply market is finally coming to life as the process of switching providers has become easier and the entrance of new players has increased customer awareness of the options available.
EDF still accounts for about 80 per cent of the retail power market, with about 26 million customers but it is losing around 100,000 a month, according to French energy market regulator CRE.
Since oil giant Total's entry into the market a year ago, several other major French companies - including retail groups Casino and Leclerc - have launched retail electricity offers with big discounts to EDF's regulated tariffs.
Italian energy group Eni also launched an offer a year ago, with a target of around two million clients by 2021.
Total is aiming for at least 15 per cent of the French retail gas and power market by 2022, or six million customers, up from about 6 per cent at the end of 2017, helped by its $1.7 billion purchase of alternative power supplier Direct Energie .
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Retailer Leclerc is offering a discount of up to 20 per cent to the regulated price to the 14.2 million customers who hold its loyalty card. The discount takes the form of a voucher to use in its network of 681 stores, and it aims to recruit three million clients by 2025.
Casino declined to give its target.
Total views its 15 per cent market share goal as vital to being competitive and developing additional services, Mr Bensadoun said at Total Spring's office in central Paris.
"But market share is only part of our strategy," he said. "We also aim to develop our production capacity to guarantee low-carbon energy at attractive prices to our customers."
Total has acquired two gas-fired plants following its purchase of Direct Energie, and plans to increase its electricity generation in France to 10 gigawatts by 2023 from 5GW.
The company has said it will bid for French hydro power concessions and expand its solar generation units in France.
Despite its push into the retail power and gas market, Total - which has regularly been tipped as a potential buyer of Engie - has no plans to become a mega-utility.
"We considered that the competition was asleep and we decided to shake things up," chief executive Patrick Pouyanne told investors last week.
The company intends to keep its retail power unit in France lean, to continue selling at a discount to regulated tariffs.
"We came into the market ... with a 'low-cost' model which is fundamentally digital. Today, we are managing three to four million clients with 500 people. So I can say that we are a kind of Uber in the electricity market," Mr Pouyanne said.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
THREE
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Liverpool v Manchester United - 3.30pm
Burnley v West Ham United - 6pm
Crystal Palace v Chelsea - 6pm
Manchester City v Stoke City - 6pm
Swansea City v Huddersfield Town - 6pm
Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth - 6pm
Watford v Arsenal - 8.30pm
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Everton - 4.30pm
Southampton v Newcastle United - 7pm
Monday
Leicester City v West Bromwich Albion - 11pm
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
