Total Share Discussion Threads

[waldron] 19/10/2007 16:48

Total S.A United States: Total Obtains 12 Deepwater Gulf of Mexico Blocks





TOTAL S.A.
Total announces that its wholly owned subsidiary, Total E&P USA Inc., was the
high bidder on 12 deep and ultra-deep water exploration blocks in the Central
and Eastern Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 205.
Total E&P USA Inc. will operate five blocks in the Garden Banks area, three
blocks in the Green Canyon and four blocks in Walkridge with a 100% working
interest. All twelve leases are around 25 square kilometres each. Award of these
blocks is subject to final approval by the Minerals Management Service.
This acquisition follows the acquisition of twenty blocks last year in the same
areas of the Gulf of Mexico. It is in accordance with the company's strategy to
strengthen its portfolio in the Gulf of Mexico on focusing exploration efforts
on prospects with high long-term potential.
Total E&P in the United StatesTotal has been present in exploration and production in the United States since
1957 and produced 15,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in equity share in
2006. The Group has finalized beginning of 2006 an agreement to swap four
onshore fields in the South of Texas against a 17% interest in the Tahiti field
in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Total sold its interest at the beginning of 2007 in the Camden Hills and
Acacongua fields, as well as in the Canyon Express pipeline, wishing by these
cessions to concentrate on exploration with high long-term potential.
Total is one of the world's major oil and gas groups, with activities in more
than 130 countries. Its 95,000 employees put their expertise to work in every
part of the industry - exploration and production of oil and natural gas,
refining and marketing, gas trading and electricity. Total is working to keep
the world supplied with energy, both today and tomorrow. The Group is also a
first rank player in chemicals. www.total.com

[waldron] 19/10/2007 16:42

Total wins 12 new exploration blocks in Gulf of Mexico




PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Total said its subsidiary Total E&P USA won the
tender for 12 deep-water exploration blocks in the central and east part of the
Gulf of Mexico.
Total E&P will 100 pct own and operate five blocks in the Gardens Bank zone,
three in Green Canyon zone and four in the Walkridge zone.
Total obtained the blocks as part of a tender covering 205 blocks in the
Gulf of Mexico. The company acquired twenty exploration blocks in the same area
last year.


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[waldron] 19/10/2007 10:30

Print Date : Thursday, October 18, 2007


Total, Shell urged to finalize share price contracts by June '08



TEHRAN (PIN) – Pars Oil and Gas Co. (POGC) managing director reiterated that Iran was determining to take optimal use of domestic potentials, setting the June 2008 deadline for France's Total and Royal Dutch Shell to finalize contracts on development of South Pars (SP) field.


Ali Vakili made the statement in a news conference, urging the French giant Total to make final investment decision (FID) on share price Phase 11 by the date.

He warned that the deadline would not be extended and scores of companies were on standby as they had voiced their willingness to develop Phase 11 of South Pars field.

The POGC head also underlined that Shell had to finalize the contract on development of share price phases 13-14 within the period.

Petroleum Ministry's caretaker warned if the contract of Pars LNG project were not finalized with Total, Iran would implement the project by itself.

Gholamhossein Nozari said the Pars LNG contract had not been yet finalized as Iran had not accepted the French company's FID, however adding Total had not voiced its unwillingness to make investment in the project.

"Total, in its proposed FID, has announced that it will invest some 11.2 billion dollars in Phase 11 and Iran has dismissed the amount as unacceptable," said the top official.

He ruled out the news that Total had reached an impasse in Iran's Pars LNG project.

"Total is keen to implement the project," said the acting oil minister, adding Iran had proposed the French giant to divide the project into smaller packages in a bid to slash costs.

Nozari, however, reiterated that Iran would not wait for any country for the implementation of domestic projects.

Manager of Total Christophe de Margerie said the giant energy group would press on with talks on Pars LNG, Iran's first liquefied natural gas export terminal, a project which requires a $15 billion investment, adding Total would look at the political situation only once a deal is ready.

As global demand for oil and gas rises, consumer countries cannot afford to blacklist producing countries on geopolitical grounds, the head of Total, which is present in Iran and Myanmar, said.

Vakili said there was no limitation for Russia's presence in South Pars (SP) projects, Mehr News Agency (MNA) reported.

If the Iranian party and Gazprom reached an agreement, the Russian company would develop share price phases 2-3, he added.

He noted that no country even the U.S faced restraint in developing the field.

"None of the foreign companies has pulled out of projects," the official said

[waldron] 18/10/2007 15:09

Mittal Energy, Total, HPCL team up for India refinery project




MUMBAI (Thomson Financial) - India's Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd said it
has signed a memorandum of understanding with Gas Authority of India Ltd, Oil
India Ltd, France's Total SA and Mittal Energy Investments Ltd to undertake a
feasibility study to set up a refinery-cum-petrochemicals complex in India.
In a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange, the company said the project
partners are looking to set up the complex in Visakhapatanam, in the south
Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Earlier there were reports that the group was planning to set up a large
green-field refinery project with an investment of about 300 bln rupees.
Mittal Energy Investments is wholly owned by Mittal Investments Sarl, which
in turn owns 38 pct in Mittal Steel Company NV, which merged with Arcelor to
form Arcelor Mittal -- the world's largest steel company.

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[waldron] 15/10/2007 14:17

Total 3rd-Quarter Refining Profit Fell on Crude Gains (Update1)

By Tom Cahill and Nidaa Bakhsh

Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Total SA, Europe's largest oil refiner, said profit from converting crude oil into gasoline, diesel and other products fell in the third quarter because of rising costs for the raw material.

Refining margins in the quarter fell 17 percent to $23.90 a ton from $28.70 a year earlier, Paris-based Total said today in a statement posted on its Web site. Margins were 44 percent below the second quarter.

Some oil refiners in northwestern Europe have reduced operating rates at their facilities because of the decline in margins from the second quarter.

Preem Petroleum AB was forced to cut processing on Sept. 13 at its 115,000 barrel-a-day refinery in Gothenburg, Sweden, after margins fell to the lowest since July.

BP Plc, Europe's second-largest oil company, saw its global refining margin slump in the third quarter to $8.05 a barrel, less than half its second quarter rate, according to data on the company's Web site. In northwestern Europe, margins fell to $3.82 a barrel, from $7.12 in the second quarter, BP said.

Margins may decline further as refineries come back on line after planned maintenance, according to a Merrill Lynch & Co. report on Oct. 10.

``As capacity utilization improves through the end of October, we anticipate refining margins to ease further; especially given the seasonal pullback in transportation fuel demand commonly observed at this time of the year,'' Merrill analysts including Hootan Yazhari said in the report.

Brent crude prices rose 7.5 percent to $74.70 a barrel in the quarter, from $69.50 a year earlier, Total said, while its average price for oil liquids rose 9.2 percent to $71.40.

Natural gas prices fell 14 percent to $4.83 per million British thermal units, from a year earlier, Total said.

Valero Energy Corp., the largest U.S. refiner, on Oct. 10 had a bigger decline in third-quarter earnings than analysts estimated as rising crude-oil costs and production disruptions narrowed profit margins on fuel sales.

To contact the reporters on this story: Tom Cahill in London at [e-mail] Nidaa Bakhsh in London at [e-mail]

Last Updated: October 15, 2007 07:18 EDT

[waldron] 14/10/2007 16:10

Total CEO cuts 2007 hydrocarbon growth forecast to 1.5-2.0 pct from 6




PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Total CEO Christophe de Margerie is forecasting
growth in hydrocarbon production of 1.5-2.0 pct for 2007, Le Figaro reported
without citing a source.
The initial forecast was for 6 pct, the paper said.
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[ariane] 12/10/2007 18:53

Total CEO to testify in parliament Tues about co strategies in Myanmar, Iran




PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Total CEO Christophe de Margerie will testify
late Tuesday before a committee of the lower house of parliament, the National
Assembly, on the company's strategies in Myanmar and Iran, Agence France-Presse
said, citing parliamentary sources.
Total has been active in gas fields in both countries, and has shrugged off
pressure from activists to halt its activities there.

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[ariane] 11/10/2007 16:15

Total to invest 1 bln usd a year in oil sands in Canada




PARIS (Thomson Financial) - French group Total is to invest 1 bln usd
annually over the next few years in extracting oil from sand deposits in Canada,
chairman Thierry Desmarest told an energy conference.
Desmarest said that by 2010 around 10 pct of worldwide oil production will
come from oil sands and that this source of production is set to grow.
He underlined these oil sands are located in Canada, a country that does not
pose any "political problems".
Total has a majority stake in the Joslyn extraction project in Alberta,
Canada, which entered its production phase last November.
The oil major said in May this year that it plans to build a facility to
upgrade the heavy oil coming from the Joslyn project.
Total also has a 50 pct stake in the Surmont project, which it expects to
start production this year, with an initial target of 27,000 barrels per day and
an estimated potential of 200,00 barrels per day over 30 years.
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[ariane] 11/10/2007 11:07

Total CEO Denies Pfizer Bid For Sanofi-Aventis Stake

October 11, 2007: 04:13 AM EST


PARIS -(Dow Jones)- Total SA (TOT) Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie said he hasn't been contacted by Pfizer Inc. (PFE) or any other company about selling Total's stake in Sanofi-Aventis (SNY).

De Margerie wouldn't have known about the persistent rumor "if I hadn't read it in the paper," he said late Wednesday at an oil conference.

"I have not been contacted," he said, adding that if someone else in Total had been approached, "that person did not call me."

-By Adam Mitchell, Dow Jones Newswires, [phone]; adam.mitchell@ dowjones.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires
10-11-07 0413ET

[ariane] 10/10/2007 19:33

Total says no plans to acquire Gazprom stake




PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Total chief Christophe de Margerie has said that
his company does not plan to acquire a stake in Gazprom, following an
announcement by French President Nicolas Sarkozy that French companies where
available to take stakes in the Russian gas company.
Asked on the margins of a conference on oil in Paris whether Total was one
of these companies, de Margerie said that his company was not.
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[ariane] 10/10/2007 15:17

Total wants to 'build up' Gazprom ties, no comment on equity stake possibility




PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Total said it wants to to "build up" its
partnership with Russian energy giant Gazprom but refused to comment on the
possibility it will acquire an equity stake in the group.
Speaking to Agence France-Presse, Total was reacting to the revelation made
by French President Nicolas Sarkozy earlier today that he has told his opposite
number Vlaidimir Putin that "French companies are ready to buy into the capital
of Gazprom".
Total's spokesman said it is in talks with other Russian groups, like
Rosneft, but did not specify the nature of the discussions.

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[ariane] 10/10/2007 10:56

Total S.A Transaction in Own Shares




RNS Number:4601F
Total S.A.
10 October 2007


Re: Notice of Repurchase of Ordinary Shares of TOTAL


Please, be advised that in connection with TOTAL's share repurchase program,
TOTAL S.A. reacquired 1,720,000 of its ordinary shares, nominal value 2.50
euros per share, in September 2007, through trades executed at the Paris Stock
Exchange.




This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

POSKBLBFDBBEFBX

[ariane] 10/10/2007 09:56

Total makes two new gas discoveries in Indonesia's Mahakam block




PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Total said it has made two new gas discoveries
in the southern part of the offshore Mahakam block in Indonesia.
The company said it found good-quality gas bearing reservoirs of 164 and 72
metres respectively in the East Mandu-1 and West Stupa-1 wells.
Total plans to develop the discoveries alongside the Stupa field, whose
development is due to be agreed in the coming months for an entry into
production by 2012.
The French group is the operator of the Mahakam block and holds a 50 pct
interest alongside Japan's INPEX.



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[ariane] 08/10/2007 09:27

Total Kazakh President Nazarbayev says original Kashagan terms will not be revised


ASTANA, Kazakhstan (Thomson Financial) - Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbayev told journalists in Astana that his country will not seek to revise
the original terms of the Agip KCO consortium to exploit the Kashagan oil field.
"The contract signed ten years ago will not be revised," Nazarbayev said
following a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.
"A group of companies and ourselves signed the production sharing agreement
concerning Kashagan, the largest deposit discovered over recent years, for the
period of 40 years. No problems have occurred over the past decade."
Italy's Eni and other consortium members are currently in talks with their
Kazakh partners over the original agreement.
Prodi said the Italian government can enter, when necessary, into the talks
between Eni and Kazakh authorities on the contract to develop the Kashagan oil
field.
"There is a negotiation underway. The technicians are working. When it will
be necessary we can intervene," Prodi said in Astana, as Radiocor reported.
"For now, there is useful cooperation to which we willingly give space. It
is clear the timing and conditions are in the hands of the Kazakhs," he said.
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[ariane] 07/10/2007 17:04

Total Iran says oilfields 'too attractive' for France to quit


TEHRAN (Thomson Financial) - Iran yesterday rejected the possibility of a
French investors' pullout of its oil and gas sector amid calls by Paris for
tougher sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear programme, the ISNA news agency
reported.
"Iran's resources and market are too attractive for the French to give up,"
deputy oil minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said.
He was commenting on whether French oil and gas companies have been
prevented from participating in Iranian projects.
France has called for European sanctions against Iran for its refusal to
suspend uranium enrichment, which could be used to make atomic weapons.
It wants European companies not to bid for new business in Iran and for
financial institutions to scale back investments, in a drive to pressure Tehran
parallel to UN Security Council sanctions.
Under a deal last year, French oil giant Total is set to exploit phase 11 of
Iran's South Pars gas field to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) for export
and to build a liquefaction plant, but the deal is held up by a dispute over
prices.
Nozari said, "We have not been informed of any official position regarding a
withdrawal by Phase 11 LNG buyers."

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[ariane] 06/10/2007 09:39

Total defies West pressures over Iran
Sat, 06 Oct 2007 06:05:10


Christophe de Margerie, Chief Executive of Total
The US cannot unilaterally decide for Total whether to invest in Iran, says Christophe de Margerie, Chief Executive of the company.

The US, but not France, is exerting pressures on Total to stop investment in Iran, he said. De Margerie stressed that the company's future would be bleak if it let other countries decide for its investment plans. He referred to the company's defiance against pressures exerted by the Anglo-Saxon countries to leave Libya as an example of company's independence.

The official urged politicians to act wisely, because "it is impossible to keep oil prices low while forcing oil producing countries to turn off their oil taps to the world's markets."

He emphasized that Iran has friendly ties with France.

[ariane] 05/10/2007 12:07

Total CEO says company will not pull out of Myanmar despite violent crackdown


PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Total has no intention of pulling out of Myanmar
despite a violent crackdown by the country's ruling junta on pro-democracy
activists, the French oil giant's chief executive said.
"Total will not pull out," Christophe de Margerie said in an interview in Le
Monde. "Investing in this country today would be a provocation. But our
investments go back to the 1990s, and there haven't been any more," De Margerie
said.
Total operates the Yadana offshore gas field in Myanmar alongside partners
Chevron, the Petroleum Authority of Thailand, and state-owned Myanmar Oil and
Gas Enterprise.
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[ariane] 04/10/2007 10:21

Total S.A Re Agreement



TOTAL S.A.
Total Studies an LNG Receiving Terminal in CroatiaTotal announces the formation of the new company, Adria LNG, to study the
construction of a regaseification terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) on
the Croatian coast. The terminal will be located on the Croatian island of Krk
in northern Adriatic, well positioned to access the European gas market and to
receive LNG supply from a variety of sources.
Total holds 25.58% in Adria LNG and is associated with E.ON Ruhrgas (31.15%),
O.M.V (25.58%), R.W.E (16.69%) and Geoplin (1%).
The new terminal will have an initial capacity of some 10 billion cubic
metres (Bcm) per annum which could be increased to 15 Bcm per annum. It will be
designed for LNG tankers carrying up to 265,000 cubic metres. Final investment
decision for the project is expected end 2008 and first operation of the LNG
receiving terminal in 2012.
Total and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)The Adria LNG project is part of the Group's strategy to strengthen its position
across the LNG chain. Total holds interests in four regasification terminals:
Altamira in Mexico, Fos Cavaou in France, Hazira in India, and South Hook in the
United Kingdom, and reserved capacity in Sabine Pass in the USA. The Group is
strengthening its position across the LNG chain, as illustrated by the recent
signatures to acquire a stake in the Brass LNG project in Nigeria, in the
Ichthys LNG project in Australia and in the Qatargas 2 project in Qatar.
Total is one of the world's major oil and gas groups, with activities in more
than 130 countries. Its 95,000 employees put their expertise to work in every
part of the industry - exploration and production of oil and natural gas,
refining and marketing, gas trading and electricity. Total is working to keep
the world supplied with energy, both today and tomorrow. The Group is also a
first rank player in chemicals. www.total.com

[ariane] 28/9/2007 15:09

Total French stance over Iran could hit economic ties - Ahmadinejad


LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has warned
that France's hardening stance regarding Teheran's nuclear drive could hit
economic relations between the two countries, state radio has reported.
"We are not very much in favour of continuing economic ties at this level
with them (France)," Ahmadinejad said during a visit to Latin America.
He said Tehran's political relationship with France did not correspond with
the economic one.
"They say many things on the political level but they want to make the
maximum profit on the economic level," he added.
France is one of the Iran's main trading partners in the European Union,
with French companies like Total, Peugeot and Renault prominent in the country.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has recently backed tougher measures on
Iran if Teheran fails to suspend its nuclear programme.
The French presidency said yesterday it did not believe Ahmadinejad's claims
that his country's nuclear activities are peaceful.
"Ultimately, we do not believe him. Everyone knows that the programme has
military goals," spokesman David Martinon told a press conference.
Sarkozy told the UN General Assembly the same day that allowing Iran to arm
itself with nuclear weapons would be "an unacceptable risk to the stability of
the region and the world".
His foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, recently suggested the West should
brace for war with Iran over its nuclear drive, before apologizing to his
Iranian counterpart on Tuesday, blaming media misrepresentation of his remarks,
Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.
Iran rejects Western charges that it is trying to build atomic weapons under
the guise of its civilian nuclear programme and insists it is entitled to pursue
uranium enrichment as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
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[ariane] 27/9/2007 09:27

Total confirms it has not invested in Myanmar for past 10 years


PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Total has confirmed that it has not invested in
Myanmar for around 10 years, following calls from President Nicolas Sarkozy for
companies to freeze investments in the country following its suppression of
demonstrations.
After a meeting with prime minister in exile Dr Sein Win, Sarkozy called for
the adoption "without delay" of sanctions against Myanmar.
Total has had a presence in Myanmar since 1992 on the Yadana gas field,
where it produced 17.4 mln cubic metres of gas per day in 2006 to fuel power
plants in Thailand.
"Total has not invested in Myanmar for around 10 years," a spokeswoman
said. It invested massively in the Yadana project around 12 years ago, but it
has not planned any investments since," she said.
A subsidiary of the group maintains a presence in the country, employing
around 270 people to keep the Yadana project going, she added.
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[ariane] 24/9/2007 07:50

EDF, Total stake in Areva fuel division among French govt scenarios


PARIS (Thomson Financial) - The French government is considering the entry
of EDF and Total into the fuel division of Areva as one of the scenarios for the
reorganisation of the state-owned nuclear power group, La Tribune reported,
without indicating its sources.
The daily also cited EDF CEO Pierre Gadonneix as saying that, "like in the
gas sector, we want to strengthen our position upstream by acquiring stakes in
new mines alongside major groups like Areva or BHP Billiton."
"We will need to secure (fuel) contracts to cover our needs until 2050-60,"
he said, noting that EDF's current contracts have secured its fuel supply for a
little under 20 years.
Total, meanwhile, is preparing to seriously study the question of nuclear
fuel, La Tribune said, without giving any details.
The oil company has previously said it is exploring other energy sources,
including renewable and nuclear sources.
The French government confirmed earlier this month that it is conducting a
review of the energy sector following press reports it is looking at options for
reorganising Areva, notably a three-way tie-up between Areva, Alstom and
Bouygues.
Les Echos also reported at the time that the government review could provide
a role for EDF and Total.
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