Registration document 2007 - Total.com

capacity oil recycling plant in France. Commissioning of the plant
is scheduled for 2008. In 2005, TOTAL and the Romanian
company Lubrifin signed a joint-venture agreement (TOTAL 51%)
to produce and market lubricants and greases intended for the
automotive and industrial markets.
TOTAL continued to develop its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
distribution activities on a worldwide scale, and is the fourth
largest international distributor (1) .
Bio-fuels and hydrogen
The Group plays an active part in the promotion of renewable
energies and alternative fuels.
In 2006, TOTAL consolidated its position as an important oil and
gas company active in biofuels in Europe by producing and
incorporating 500 kt tons of ETBE (2) in seven refineries (3)
(compared to 360 kt in 2005 and 310 kt in 2004) and
incorporating 420 kt of VOME (4) in diesel fuels at nine European
refineries and several storage sites (compared to 310 kt in 2005
and 210 kt in 2004). In 2005, TOTAL signed a VOME supply
contract with Sofiprotéol and Diester Industry for periodically
increasing quantities reaching 600 kt/y.
In November 2006, TOTAL and several other parties (car
manufacturers, oil companies, agricultural representatives,
ethanol producers) signed the Superethanol E85 Development
Charter, a charter to develop superethanol in France (fuel with up
to 85% of ethanol from agricultural production, also called
“flexfuel”). As part of this charter, TOTAL undertook to equip 200
to 275 retail stations to distribute flexfuel by the end of 2007. The
rate at which Superethanol is adopted by the market will depend
both on the creation of appropriate tax incentives and the
marketing of suitable vehicles.
In 2006, TOTAL continued its research and testing programs for
fuel cell and hydrogen fuels technologies. To this purpose, TOTAL
entered into cooperation agreements for automotive applications
(with BMW in March 2006, Renault in 2003 and Delphi in 2001)
and for stationary applications (with Electrabel and Idatech in
2004). Under its partnership with BVG, the largest public
transport company in Germany and the bus operator in Berlin,
TOTAL created a Center of Excellence for Hydrogen in Berlin.
The first consumer hydrogen fueling station opened in Berlin in
March 2006. As part of the partnership with BMW, a second
hydrogen fueling station opened in December 2006 near the car
manufacturer’s Innovation and Research Center. The construction
of a third hydrogen fueling station in Europe is under study.
TOTAL is also an active participant in the hydrogen technology
platform program launched by the European Commission at the
end of 2003, intended to promote the development of this
technology in Europe.
(1) Company sources, on the basis of volumes sold.
(2) ETBE: Ethyl-Tertio-Butyl-Ether.
(3) Including Algeciras and Huelva refineries (CEPSA).
(4) VOME: Vegetable-Oil-Methyl-Esther.
Business overview
Refining & Marketing - Downstream
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TOTAL – Registration Document 2006 47