Total Share Discussion Threads

[waldron] 15/12/2006 08:57

Total says Dalia oil field off Angola coast is in production


PARIS (AFX) - Total said the Dalia oil field off the Angola coast, which
will eventually produce 240,000 barrels per day, has entered production.
Total's Angola unit is the operator of the field with a 40 pct stake. Others
involved are units of Exxon Mobil with 20 pct, BP with 16.67 pct, Statoil with
13.33 pct and Norsk Hydro with 10 pct.
[e-mail]
mjs/tw

[ariane] 08/12/2006 12:06

Total buys 8.35 pct stake in South Hook LNG terminal


PARIS (AFX) - Total SA said it has taken an 8.35 pct stake in the South Hook
liquefied natural gas terminal in Milford Haven, Wales, where operations are set
to begin in early 2008.
Qatar Petroleum holds a 67.5 pct stake in the LNG terminal, and ExxonMobil
owns 24.15 pct.
Total also said it has finalised its purchase of a 16.7 pct stake in the
second production unit of the Qatargas II LNG project, first announced in Feb
2005.
Total plans to purchase up to 5.2 mln tonnes of LNG per year from Qatargas
II for a period of 25 years. The South Hook terminal is the dedicated receiving
terminal for the Qatargas II production.


[e-mail]
js/tw

[waldron] 03/12/2006 10:35

BP, Total Sell Algeria-to-Spain Gas Pipeline Stakes (Update3)

By Kristian Rix and Juan Pablo Spinetto

Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- BP Plc and Total SA, Europe's second and third-largest oil companies, sold their stakes in the Medgaz natural-gas pipeline to other shareholders in the project that plans to link Spain and Algeria.

Luis Javier Navarro, Chairman of BP's Spanish unit, declined to say for how much the company sold its stake in an interview on the sidelines of a conference in Palma de Mallorca today. Patricia Marie, a spokeswoman for Total in Paris, confirmed the company's sale.

``The other partners will be pleased to get a bigger stake in the project given the importance that the pipe will have for Spain's gas supply,'' said Luis Benguerel, a trader at Interbrokers in Barcelona.

Spain is Western Europe's fastest-growing market for the fuel as the government makes gas-fired power plants a key part of plans to meet power demand over the next two decades. The European Union is seeking to boost gas links with North Africa to curb dependence on imports from Russia.

Medgaz is designed to bring 8 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Algeria's gas fields, about a third of Spain's current demand. The project includes a 200-kilometer (124-mile) underwater section. It has been planned since 2001 and if approved will be built by the end of 2009.

Algeria's state-owned oil company Sonatrach and Cia. Espanola de Petroleos SA, or Cepsa, Spain's second-biggest oil company, each hold 20 percent of the Medgaz project. Endesa SA, Gaz de France SA and Iberdrola SA each hold 12 percent. Total owns 49 percent of Cepsa.

Asset Sales

Sonatrach Chairman Mohamed Meziane said in an interview today that the estimated 600 million-euro ($799.5 million) cost of the project may rise ``a little bit.'' The group will meet on Dec. 14 and Dec. 21 to discuss final investment figures, he said.

BP sold the stake due to ``internal strategic reasons,'' Navarro said. ``We are not ruling out reconsidering new investments in this project in the future if the opportunity arises.''

The company has sold some older assets, including some North Sea oil fields and European refineries, as it concentrates on regions with a higher potential for growth. BP expects to sell about $6 billion worth of assets this year, helping offset planned capital expenditure of $16 billion on maintenance and new oil and gas projects.

Last month, London-based BP sold its 5 percent stake in Enagas SA, the operator of Spain's natural-gas pipelines, for 231 million euros ($295 million). BP still owns a quarter of a liquefied natural gas import terminal and power plant in Bilbao.

``It's probably less about Medgaz and more about BP's overall global strategy as they are focusing on upstream operations,'' said Boaz Moselle, an energy analyst at consultant The Brattle Group in Brussels.

To contact the reporters on this story: Kristian Rix in Madrid at [e-mail]

Last Updated: December 2, 2006 12:02 EST

[ariane] 01/12/2006 21:15

enjoy your weekend

[emiliodel5] 01/12/2006 17:20

While reading message boards a while back I found a gem. A newsletter that is dedicated to profiling little known issues. The list is 100% double opt-in to ensure that the members are truly looking for a lead. It is certainly worth a few minutes of your time to take a look.

[ariane] 01/12/2006 17:01

Eni unperturbed by Kazakhstan's planned audit of Kashagan project

LONDON (AFX) - Eni SpA is unperturbed by the Kazakhstan government's plan to
audit the rising costs at the Kashagan oilfield and impose a fine for delays in
the project.
Eni is the operator of Kashagan, one of the world's largest oil fields with
estimated reserves of around 45 bln barrels, up to 13 bln of which are
recoverable.
Paolo Scaroni, Eni chief executive, said the audit and the "extra payment"
the Eni-led consortium has to pay are all "contractual."
He dismissed fears the Kazakh government's action could turn Kashagan into
"another Sakhalin-2".
The 20 bln usd Sakhalin-2 gas project, which is being carried out by a
consortium led by Royal Dutch Shell PLC, had its license revoked this year by
the Russian authorities following delays and cost overruns.
Baktykozha Izmukhambetov, Kazakhstan's energy minister, said the state-owned
KazMunaiGas (KMG), will be hiring external auditors to check the project, whose
cost has risen from the original 29 bln usd.
KMG is a shareholder in the Kashagan project.
Scaroni said KMG "sharing in the decision" in the development of the
Kashagan field "make us confident" that the project will "not (be) another
Sakhalin-2."
Eni will give an update on the project, including the revised budget, in
January, he said.
Apart from KMG, Eni's partners in the project include Shell, ExxonMobil,
Total SA, ConocoPhillips, and Japan's Inpex.
[e-mail]
mbe/tc

[ariane] 30/11/2006 10:26

Oil climbs above 63 usd as traders fret over falling US stocks, cold weather

LONDON (AFX) - Oil rose above 63 usd, extending yesterday's spike to the
highest level in two months, as traders continued to fret over declining US
energy inventories and forecasts for colder weather in the key US Northeast
region.
At 9.58 am in London, front-month Brent North Sea crude contracts for
January delivery were up 31 cents at 63.40 usd a barrel, surpassing yesterday's
intra-day high of 63.16 usd, which was the highest level since Sept 28.
Meanwhile, front-month New York light sweet crude contracts for January
delivery rose 17 cents to 62.62 usd a barrel, surpassing yesterday's intra-day
high of 62.55 usd, the highest point since Oct 2.
[e-mail]
ma/jlw

[ariane] 29/11/2006 17:22

How much can 'big oil' risk in Nigeria?

ISN
Attacks by armed militants have forced some oil companies in Nigeria to pare down or withdraw their operations in the southern oil region. But despite signs the violence could get worse, other companies show no signs of quitting Africa's leading producer.

By Dulue Mbachu in Port Harcourt, Nigeria for ISN Security Watch (29/11/06)

After more than three decades of operating in Nigeria, Willbros Group Inc, a multinational engineering contractor for the global oil industry, left the country in August in the face of growing violence in the southern Niger Delta oil region. Company chairman Mike Curran told reporters that the situation in the oil region had gone beyond "acceptable risk levels." In February 2006, nine of Willbros' employees were kidnapped by rebels. They were released the next month.

Another company that services the oil industry in Nigeria, German construction firm Bilfinger Berger, also pulled out that same month over security concerns. Like Willbros, employees of Bilfinger Berger were among hostages taken in the rash of armed attacks and other violence that has rocked a region that produces nearly all of Nigeria's oil.

The choice the two companies made is one increasingly facing every oil company operating in Nigeria. Each has to decide what level of risk is acceptable for continuing business as violence spreads in the region. For now, most have chosen to remain and merely tightened their security. But there are signs that the violence will only get worse in the coming months.

On 22 November a British oil worker, one of seven foreign oil workers seized by armed men from an offshore field run by Italy's ENI Spa, was killed when the Nigerian navy launched a rescue attempt. Though the remaining six were freed, it marked the first time an abducted foreign oil worker died since the upsurge in attacks began early this year, further underlining the growing dangers in the oil region.

The US Embassy in Nigeria warned its citizens there earlier this month that it had received intelligence that large-scale militant attacks in the delta were imminent. According to the advisory: "The attacks allegedly will be carried out sometime during the first week of November and will include 10 to 20 simultaneous bombings of land-based targets and a series of separate attacks on oil installations in which expatriate workers will be taken hostage."

Nigeria is the world's eighth-largest exporter. For this reason, among others, disruptions to Nigerian supplies have been among the key fears fuelling spikes in oil prices in the past two years.

Oil accounts for more than 95 percent of Nigeria's foreign earnings and 80 percent of total government revenue. But in Africa's most populous region of more than 130 million people, oil has manifested all the signs of a curse.

Little of the oil wealth is seen by the vast majority of the population who live on less than US$1 a day. Nigeria's financial crimes agency estimates that a total of US$380 billion has been stolen or wasted through corruption and mismanagement by a succession of military and civilian rulers.

The multi-ethnic nation is becoming increasingly troubled by Nigeria's oil wealth not benefiting the entire population.

In the impoverished delta, which accounts for most of Nigeria's oil reserves, resentment felt by the local population of mainly ethnic minorities has grown against the central government, dominated by people from the major ethnic groups. Currently, 87 percent of the oil wealth goes to the central government, which works in joint venture partnerships with international oil companies. Political leaders in the delta want 50 percent of the total oil revenue.

The delta position has recently attracted the backing of Brussels-based International Crisis Group. Its latest report on Nigeria speaks of a "faltering federal experiment" where large and diverse sections of the population are alienated from the system of distribution of national wealth thereby fuelling tensions and violence across the country.

After nearly two decades of protests, disruption of oil operations and hostage-taking, violence took a new turn this year as the militants became better organized and acquired more weapons. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which has claimed some of the worst attacks, says its objective is "the liberation of the Niger Delta from the clutches of the oil companies and the Nigerian government."

But in a region awash with weapons, many other armed groups are also kidnapping for ransom. More than 50 foreign oil workers have been abducted and freed since January, some after the payment of ransom. During raids by militants, oil installations, including pipelines and pumping stations, were destroyed, crippling oil operations. In May, a US citizen employed by drilling equipment supplier, Baker Hughes Inc, was shot dead in the main oil industry centre of Port Harcourt as he was on his way to work.

On 26 October, an American and a Briton were seized from an offshore vessel owned by Norwegian firm Petroleum Geo-Services. They were freed after five days in captivity. An entire community in the area claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, saying that they wanted compensation payments for previous oil spills as well as jobs and development projects.

Days earlier, four Britons, one Romanian, an Indonesian and a Malaysian, were freed after nearly three weeks in captivity. They had been seized on 3 October from the southeast town of Eket during an attack on a residential compound for contractors working for Exxon Mobil. Two guards were shot dead by the militants in that attack.

It was the first time an ExxonMobil installation had been hit by a militia attack, it was also the first time the attackers had gone that far east in the delta region, showing increasing militia reach and confidence.

Despite assurances of security, President Olusegun Obasanjo's government has not been able to stop the attacks. Operating with hit-and- run tactics in the delta's maze of creeks and swamps they know very well, the militants have proved difficult to tackle for the country's conventional armed forces.

Obasanjo's response has been to send even more military to the delta, with more than 10,000 troops constituting a joint task force of the army, navy and air force, deployed in the region. Accusations have been rife of reprisal attacks by troops against villages thought to be harboring the militants.

Many analysts fear the Nigerian government has lost control of the situation in the oil region and can no longer handle it alone, raising questions about the possibility of foreign military assistance or even outright intervention.

"Nigeria does not have the capability and equipment to actually protect its oil," said Jonathan Bearman, head of UK-based Clearwater Research Services, which provides risk and intelligence advice to oil companies. He expects that in the future there will be foreign involvement in dealing with the situation in the oil region.

In the past three years, the US has provided Nigeria with refurbished Coast Guard vessels to improve defense of oil facilities and Atlantic territorial waters where oil and armed smugglers have helped sustain the armed violence. But these have remained inadequate to contain the militants in the delta.

"Militants in the Niger Delta are capturing expatriate [oil] workers at will, even planting a bomb right in an army barracks," said Nigerian analyst Rose Umoren. This creates "a dangerous situation" which might prompt Western countries with huge investments in Nigeria's oil industry to contemplate military intervention, she said.

Western military presence is slowly growing in the Gulf of Guinea with more frequent US and British navy patrols in the region projected to account for 25 percent of US oil imports by 2015 as against current 15 percent. US and British warships were visiting Nigeria at the time of an attack in June when citizens of both countries were taken hostage.

Captain James Morse, commander of the British war ship HMS Chatham, told reporters the UK Foreign Office was studying the situation in the Niger Delta closely, but stressed they have not been invited to help. "If we are asked to help, we have the capability," he said.

So far none of the major oil companies operating in Nigeria - Shell, Exxon Mobil, Total, Chevron and Agip – have indicated any inclination to divest from their multi-billion dollar investments in the country as a result of the unrest in the delta. While others have been more reticent about how they expect the security situation there to be resolved, only Chevron has come out openly to say it is against the use of force.

"We all need to get it right in the delta, brute force does not work in the long term," Fred Nelson, who heads Chevron's operations in Nigeria and the entire Gulf of Guinea, told reporters recently. "Our strategy is to hold dialogue with the communities to solve their problems. If we can solve the problems, the security issue will go away."




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Dulue Mbachu is a correspondent for ISN Security Watch based in Nigeria. He has reported Nigeria for international media outlets including The Washington Post and the Associated Press.

[waldron] 27/11/2006 09:06

Norsk Hydro announces third oil discovery at Oseberg field in last 18 months

OSLO (AFX) - Norsk Hydro ASA said it has made its third oil discovery in the
North Sea's Oseberg field in the last 18 months, confirming earlier press
reports.
The Norwegian oil firm said the latest find has been made in the "cellar" of
the Statfjord formation in the area's Gamma structure.
While no details were given on the estimated size of the find, local press
reports earlier today suggested it could be in the region of 30 mln barrels.
The fault blocks Gamma and Alfa, which comprise a large part of the Oseberg
field, have been producing oil and gas since 1988.
The latest find follows other recent discoveries, including J Central, which
was found in the summer of 2005 and is already producing about 4,000 barrels a
day.
It also follows B-Sor, which was found in spring 2005 and which Norsk Hydro
said it plans to tap during the next few years.
As operator, Norsk Hydro has a 34 pct stake in the Oseberg Unit, while other
major shareholders are Petoro with 33.6 pct, Statoil ASA with 15.3 pct, and
Total with 10.0 pct.
[e-mail]
ar/jfr

[waldron] 27/11/2006 05:30

Kazakhstan's Kashagan oil field peak output 25 pct higher than forecast- report

BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - Peak production at Kazakhstan's Kashagan oil field is
now seen at 1.5 mln barrels a day, exceeding forecasts by some 25 pct, the
Financial Times reported, citing international companies developing the field.
Kashagan, operated by Italy's ENI, will hit peak production by the end of
the next decade and will sustain peak production for more than 10 years, meaning
it will yield 10 pct more reserves than currently assumed, the FT said.
The report said ENI is expected to also announce that the field which was
originally due to start pumping oil in 2005 will now have a start date of 2009
instead of 2008, with development costs of 29 bln usd also to be upgraded to the
mid 30 bln usd range.
ENI's partners include Total, Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips,
Japan's Inpex and Kazakhstan's KazMunaiGaz.

[ariane] 23/11/2006 13:58

Russian regulators seek to withdraw 140 oil/gas licences

MOSCOW (AFX) - Russia's environmental regulator has proposed stripping by
the end of the year about 140 licences held by foreign and Russian energy
companies, according to comments from the deputy head of Russia's environmental
monitoring agency Rosprirodnadzor.
Oleg Mitvol told Agence France-Presse the service has proposed the
withdrawal but that a final decision depends on Russia's subsoil agency Rosnedr.
Earlier today the RBK Daily business newspaper published a "blacklist" of
companies reportedly slated to lose licences over environmental concerns. Among
them were licences for Total, Rospan, a subsidiary of Russian-British TNK-BP, as
well as Russian firms Lukoil and Rosneft.
Mitvol said a list had been drawn up, but that the published version was
"incomplete."
Rosnedr is due to meet Friday on whether to remove Rospan's license in the
promising gas fields at Urengoi-west in Siberia, a potentially serious blow to
TNK-BP.
Mitvol reiterated that the regulatory attack was based on serious
environmental concerns, but critics claim that the government agency has
political motivations and is using regulations to force foreign companies to
accept greater Russian participation in their projects.
[e-mail]
afp/rar

[grupo guitarlumber] 23/11/2006 09:50

OPEC to approve new oil production cut - Venezuela's Ramirez

CARACAS (AFX) - Oil cartel OPEC will agree on a new cut in oil production at
a meeting in Nigeria next month, according to Venezuela's energy minister.
The new cut "will be proposed ... because (oil) price remains unstable,"
Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez told Venezolana television.
"In December there will be consensus to continue acting on volume," he said,
without indicating by how many barrels OPEC would cut production.
Venezuela, a founding member of OPEC, was the world's eighth largest oil
exporter last year, according to the US government's Energy Information
Administration.
OPEC decided last month to cut production by 1.2 mln barrels per day from
the start of November in order to support weakening prices, which have shed
around 20 usd since last August.
OPEC President Edmond Daukoru, Nigeria's oil minister, told a newspaper that
the cartel's members were likely to back a fresh production cut next month.
"I have no doubt that there is going to be a cut in supply," Daukoru told
the newspaper This Day in Nigeria.
Daukoru's comments followed those of Qatari Energy Minister Abdullah bin
Hamad al-Attiyah, who suggested over the weekend that OPEC would approve a
further output cut at its ministerial meeting in Abuja, Nigeria on Dec 14.
[e-mail]
afp/joy

[grupo guitarlumber] 19/11/2006 15:06

Qatari energy minister says OPEC may cut oil output - report
TOKYO (XFN-ASIA) - Qatar's energy minister Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah
suggested that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries may cut oil
output further at its next meeting in December.
In an interview with Kyodo News, he said recent global oil prices are
volatile due to speculative trading in an oversupplied market.
Al-Attiyah, who is on a nine-day tour to meet with Japanese political and
business leaders, said he saw "no shortage" of oil in the market, given mild
winters in countries such as Japan and the US and high inventories of oil.
"If you continue to see this volatile market, going down very sharply and
going up very sharply," he told Kyodo, "this is not good for business ... I hope
that oil markets will stabilize.
"I think OPEC has to do something about how to balance it on actual basis of
demand and supply," he said.
OPEC's next meeting will be in Abuja, Nigeria, on Dec 14.
Meanwhile, al-Attiyah said Qatar plans to expand global LNG shipments to 35
mln tons a year in 2007 from the current 29 mln tons, making it the world's
biggest LNG producer, Kyodo said.

afp/wk

[waldron] 17/11/2006 10:33

Oil steadies after diving to 1 year lows on high stocks, warm weather forecasts

LONDON (AFX) - Oil prices steadied after diving to one year lows yesterday
on concerns over high fuel stocks in the US, forecasts for a warmer than average
winter and doubt over OPEC output cuts.
At 10.01 am in London, the front month Jan-dated Brent futures contracts
were up 2 cents at 58.56 usd a barrel, after sinking 2.07 usd at 58.54 usd
yesterday.
Meanwhile, front month Dec-dated US light crude futures, which expire later
today, were down 11 cents at 56.16 usd a barrel, near yesterday's intra-day low
of 55.92 usd yesterday - the lowest point since Nov 30.
[e-mail]
ma/gp

[ariane] 14/11/2006 08:13

Published: 09:00 14.11.2006 GMT+1 /HUGIN /Source: Linde AG /GER: LIN /ISIN: DE0006483001

Linde to supply climate-neutral hydrogen for official presentation of new BMW


Wiesbaden, 14 November 2006 - The technology group Linde will be supplying climate-neutral hydrogen for the official presentation of the new BMW Hydrogen 7 in Berlin. With this, Linde not only underlines its hydrogen logistics competence but also its ambitions regarding sustainable hydrogen production. Around 300 journalists will be trying out the new hydrogen-powered BMW at the manufacturer's international press event in the German capital.

"Climate-neutral hydrogen represents a first step towards emission-free mobility that is no longer dependent on fossil fuels", explained Professor Dr. Wolfgang Reitzle, President and CEO of Linde AG. The climate neutrality of the liquid hydrogen is guaranteed thanks to the acquisition of CO2 certificates. The principle of compensating emissions by means of certificates from a climate protection project was assessed by the TÜV SÜD technical service group, who granted the quality mark accordingly. Linde's strategic objective is to considerably increase the proportion of sustainably generated hydrogen in the long term. Linde will soon be in a position to meet the needs of all test fleets in Europe using sustainable production methods, thanks in particular to the results of biomass-to-hydrogen (BTH) projects.

The traiLH2TM, a mobile hydrogen refueling unit, will provide part of the fuel required during the press event. Its 1,000-liter hydrogen dewar vessel and independent electricity supply via an on-board fuel cell make the traiLH2TM ideal for flexible fuel supply. The rest of the BMWs will be refueled at the TOTAL filling station on Berlin's Heerstrasse. Both this filling station and three other mobile dispensers feature refueling technology developed by Linde, as well as Linde hydrogen. Around 30,000 liters of the cryogenic, emission-free fuel will be required over the course of the three-week event. It will be supplied by what is at present Germany's only hydrogen liquefaction plant, which is operated by Linde in Ingolstadt (Bavaria).

Liquid hydrogen (LH2) offers a number of advantages due to the substantially higher energy density compared to compressed gaseous hydrogen (CGH2). The higher energy density means that the energy saved during the transportation of the hydrogen from the production site to the filling station outweighs the energy required during the liquefaction process. The storage volume required at the filling station is considerably lower, giving LH2-powered vehicles like the BMW Hydrogen 7 a greater cruising range.

Linde will also be the exclusive global hydrogen supplier for BMW's drive events, which are to run under the motto "Drive for the Future", on the basis of a long-term partnership. Both companies are also forging ahead with the establishment of a blanket hydrogen infrastructure together with other partners, mainly from the automotive and mineral oil industries. Linde has equipped over 40 filling stations worldwide, making it the leading provider of hydrogen refueling technology.


The Linde Group is a world leading industrial gases and engineering company with more than 53,000 employees working in around 70 countries worldwide. Following the acquisition of The BOC Group the company has gases and engineering sales of approximately 12 billion euro. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.

For more information, please see The Linde Group online at


For further information:

Press
Stefan Metz
Tel.: +49.611.770-487

Investor Relations
Thomas Eisenlohr
Tel.: +49.611.770-610


press release as PDF

[ariane] 11/11/2006 07:07

extract



Conclusions

This assessment should be taken "with a grain of salt", it is not to be expected that the future will follow these projections. But looking at these numbers, some trends clearly arise, the most important being a decline from 2005 onwards of the amount of oil coming to the market. This situation is a consequence of consumption growth at higher pace than production in most of the oil exporting countries.

Once the amount oil available for export becomes lower than the amount required by the importing countries costs start to rise, forcing an abnormal wealth transfer from buyers to sellers. This newly acquired wealth will improve affluence in exporting countries, which in turn drives up internal consumption (better automobiles, better and farther away from center homes, more goods imports and transportation, etc). This feedback loop will perpetuate itself until some event or constraint tackles consumption growth in the exporters' side, or until the importers collapse from lack of new wealth to transfer. The former is the most likely scenario.

For oil importing countries like the EU these projections bring a worrisome conclusion: mitigation strategies for oil scarcity should have started taking effect in 2005. For this to have happened, planning should have started in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Although programs for liquid hydrocarbons replacement exist in the electric generation sector in the EU, US or Australia, none of these countries seems to have prepared to phase out oil in the transportation sector. In the case of the EU it is also important to note the failure in planning for an alternative to nuclear electric generation (an important energy source in some member states) since its stalling due to negative public opinion.

Finally another consequence must be observed: unfortunately, as laid down originally by Colin Campbell, the Oil Depletion Protocol may only function if exporting countries restrain their oil consumption. Up to the Peak Oil epoch the Protocol can work if exporting countries match their consumption growth with that of production, freezing the amount of oil coming on market. After Peak Oil these countries would have to decrease their internal consumption in order to mach the decline rate of world production with that of world consumption. It is hard to envision less wealthy countries reducing their consumption in order to provide oil to wealthier countries. Let's just hope for the best.

[grupo guitarlumber] 08/11/2006 09:02

extract

3rd Quarter Results

RNS Number:7246L
Total S.A.
08 November 2006




Third quarter 2006 results stable at 3.1 billion euros

Interim dividend of 0.87 euro per share,
an increase of 16% (+25% expressed in dollars)(1)


Main results

* Third quarter 2006 adjusted net income(2) 3.11 billion euros -

3.96 billion dollars(3) +4%

1.35 euros per share +2%

1.72 dollars per share +6%

* Nine months 2006 adjusted net income(4) 9.85 billion euros +10%

12.3 billion dollars +8%

4.24 euros per share +12%

5.28 dollars per share +11%


Highlights since the start of the third quarter 2006

* Continuing exploration success

- Positive results in the Gulf of Mexico, Congo, Libya, Nigeria, Angola,
Indonesia and UK North Sea

- New acreage in Nigeria, Indonesia, Colombia, Gulf of Mexico and the
Netherlands

* Entry in two major LNG projects : Brass LNG in Nigeria and Ichthys LNG in
Australia

* Launched development of the Tempa Rossa field in Italy

* Start-up of Phase I Joslyn field SAGD (steam-assisted gravity drain)

* Acquisition of 4.35% of Cepsa for 4.54 Euro/share as per the agreement with
Santander to settle the arbitration process

* Agreement on new contractual framework in Bolivia and an increase in the
share of Block XX to 75%


Paris, November 8, 2006 --- The Board of Directors of Total, chaired by CEO
Thierry Desmarest, met on November 7, 2006 to review the consolidated accounts
for the third quarter 2006. Adjusted net income was 3,111 million euros (MEuro) in
the third quarter 2006, in line with the level of the third quarter 2005.
Commenting on the results, Thierry Desmarest said :


"After a long period of advances, oil prices lost ground during the third
quarter, following a slowdown in demand growth and as perceptions in the market
about the risks related to global oil supplies eased. Refining margins were
lower than the very high levels reached in 2005 following hurricanes in the Gulf
of Mexico, but market conditions for petrochemicals improved as the cost of
naphtha fell near the end of the quarter.


Expressed in dollars, the 4% increase in adjusted net income reflects the
benefits of a slightly more favorable environment, which were partially offset
by an increase in UK petroleum taxes and lower production volumes. Nonetheless,
the profitability of Total, 29% for the 12 months ended September 30, is still
at the level of the best among the majors. This performance reflects the quality
of the Group's portfolio of activities and the benefit of continued capital
discipline.


Total is continuing to implement its investment program, designed in particular
to generate production growth of close to 4% per year on average for the period
2005 to 2010. Notably with the start-up of the giant Dalia field in Angola
anticipated next month, the return to a period of strong growth is confirmed for
2007. The interim dividend was raised by 16%, a larger increase than the
increase in net income, and this demonstrates that the company is confident of
its ability to return to sustainable long-term strong production growth."

[grupo guitarlumber] 08/11/2006 08:02

Total Q3 adjusted net profit falls to 3.111 bln eur, above consensus

PARIS (AFX) - Oil giant Total SA said third quarter adjusted net profit fell
to 3.111 bln eur from 3.126 bln a year earlier, as oil prices slipped from peaks
earlier this year and refining margins were down from the year-earlier quarter.
The adjusted net was nonetheless above a consensus forecast of 3.039 bln.
In dollar terms, the adjusted net was up 4 pct on the year, to 3.96 bln usd.
Total raised its interim dividend by 16 pct, to 0.87 eur per share.
It said refining margins so far in the fourth quarter have been near the
third quarter level, and overall company profitability is the best among the oil
majors.
[e-mail]
mjs/tc

[ariane] 06/11/2006 09:15

Stmt re Mexican Terminal

RNS Number:0737L
Total S.A.
26 October 2006



2, place de la Coupole
La Defense 6
92 400 Courbevoie France
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Jerome SCHMITT
Laurent WOLFFSHEIM
Philippe HERGAUX

Robert HAMMOND (U.S.)
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

TOTAL S.A.
Capital 6 062 233 950 euros
542 051 180 R.C.S. Nanterre

www.total.com

Commercial Operations Begin at the Altamira Regasification Terminal
in Mexico

Paris - October 26, 2006 - Located near Tampico on the eastern coast of Mexico,
the Altamira liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal, in
which Total has a 25% interest, yesterday welcomed President Vicente Fox at a
ceremony marking the recent official startup of commercial operations.

Construction of the terminal began in 2003 and was completed on schedule and on
budget, with an excellent safety record. The first of its kind in Mexico, the
facility will make a significant contribution to the country's gas supply.

Total owns a 25% interest in the two companies involved in the project. Terminal
de LNG de Altamira (50% Shell, 25% Mitsui, 25% Total) owns and operates the
regasification terminal, while marketing company Gas del Litoral (75% Shell, 25%
Total) has signed a 15-year contract with Mexican electric utility Comision
Federal de Electricidad (CFE) to supply 5 billion cubic metres of gas a year
from the new terminal.

Total and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

A trailblazer in the LNG industry since 1964, Total has interests in six of the
world's largest liquefaction plants, which represent around 40% of global LNG
production capacity. More than one-quarter of the gas produced by Total in 2005
was dedicated to the LNG industry.

Total is strengthening its positions across the LNG chain, as illustrated by the
recent contract signatures to acquire stakes in Brass LNG in Nigeria and the
Ichthys LNG project in Australia. Total also has interests in four
regasification terminal projects to secure additional markets for production
from the Middle East, the Gulf of Guinea and, in the future, Northern Europe.

India's Hazira terminal came on stream in April 2005, while Mexico's Altamira
terminal began operations in late September 2006 and France's Fos Cavaou
terminal is scheduled for commissioning in 2007. And from 2009, Total will have
regasification capacity in the Sabine Pass terminal on the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

* * *

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



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

END

STRIIFFAISLRFIR

[grupo guitarlumber] 01/11/2006 15:02

Russian govt to decide on possible suspension of Sakhalin-2 by end-Nov - Trutnev

MOSCOW (AFX) - The Russian government will take a definitive decision on the
possible suspension of the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project in the third week of
November, said Russian Natural Resources Minister Yuri Trutnev.
The minister is ready to grant the operator of the project an extra week to
present a project to repair environmental damages, which it should submit before
Thursday, the minister said, cited by Prime-Tass financial news agency.
Sakhalin-2, a 20 bln usd project in the far east of Russia, developed by a
consortium led by Royal Dutch Shell, with Mitsui & Co and Mitsubishi Corp, is
threatened with suspension by the Russian authorities.
The authorities have said the project is harmful to the environment on
Sakhalin Island and that the running of the project is unfavourable to Russian
interests.
After a meeting between UK Ambassador Anthony Brenton and head of the
Russian chamber of accounts Sergei Stepashin, the institution said in a
statement last night that the UK side would propose "a supplement to the
production-sharing agreement", which would amend the economic model of the
project.
However, a spokesperson from the UK embassy told Agence France-Presse that
this information was "not correct". Shell is trying to clarify its situation
with the Russian government, and it is up to Shell to comment on its complex
negotiations, the spokesperson said on condition of anonymity.
Trutnev said that once a decision is taken on Sakhalin-2, the ministry of
natural resources will focus its attention on another project based on a
production-sharing agreement, Khariaga, which is led by French oil company Total
SA.
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