Arlanxeo has announced plans to build a rubber production plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The 140,000 t/y plant, which will be part of the $11 billion Amiral complex planned by Saudi Aramco and Total Energies, will produce two elastomers: ultra-high cis polybutadiene (NdBR) and lithium butadiene rubber (LiBR).
Aramco and Sinopec have signed two separate agreements to develop petrochemical complexes in their home countries of Saudi Arabia and China.
France’s TotalEnergies said it plans to build a new production line for high-performance recycled polypropylene used in automotive applications at its polymer production site in Carling, France.
German gas utility VNG, a combination of multiple providers, is joining up with Total Eren, a Paris-based renewable energy Independent Power Producer (IPP) soon to be absorbed by TotalEnergies to develop the market for green ammonia imports into Europe.
French energy giant TotalEnergies has signed an agreement with waste management and advanced recycling specialist Indaver covering offtake of petrochemical feedstock generated from the Belgian company’s advanced recycling of mixed polyolefins waste.
The 1 million t/y ethane cracker built by US-headquartered Bayport Polymers (also known as Baystar), a 50:50 joint venture of Borealis and TotalEnergies, has begun commercial scale production at Total’s refinery in Port Arthur, Texas.
Borealis is investing about €200 million to upgrade and expand capacity for cross-linked PE (XLPE) and semiconductive compounds in Europe in order to meet future demand in wire and cable applications.
The emirate of Qatar has begun signing agreements with US and European energy majors for the country’s planned $30 billion expansion of its North Field, which is believed to harbor the world’s largest natural gas reserves. TotalEnergies is taking the top slot.
French petrochemicals, plastics and energy group TotalEnergies has taken a $4.1 billion writedown on its flagship Russian gas exploration project and is seen to have softened its position on exiting the country despite earlier statements that it could not pull out.
TotalEnergies announced on Mar. 22 that it would stop buying Russian oil by the end of 2022 and refrain from concluding any new investment projects in the country. A day later, it modified the announcement, saying that the decision does not apply to natural gas.
TotalEnergies has launched the e-CO2Met project that aims to produce methanol from green hydrogen. The French group is working on the project in Leuna, Germany, with electrolyzer manufacturer Sunfire, the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes and the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS.
The EU Commission’s ambitious plan for a European Green Deal, launched shortly before the pandemic struck in early 2020, aims to make the continent the world’s first climate-neutral region by 2050. The goals spelled out in January last year call for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% up to 2030, compared with 1990 levels.
Total’s specialty chemical additives subsidiary Total Cray Valley and US renewables company Gevo have completed the first phase of their Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to upgrade fusel oils into renewable isoamylene.
Total has announced it is leaving the American Petroleum Institute (API) in disagreement over the industry grouping’s climate positions. The French energy and chemicals group said it was unable to resolve differences with API over carbon pricing, subsidies for electric vehicles and the regulation of methane emissions.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and French energy group Total have entered into a strategic framework agreement to explore joint research, development and deployment opportunities in reducing CO2 emissions and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS).
French energy and petrochemicals giant Total is planning to convert its Grandpuits refinery south of Paris into a zero-crude platform that will produce bioplastics as well as engage in chemical recycling of waste plastics. Two photovoltaic solar power plants will also be part of the project due to cost €500 million and be completed by 2024.
