(Paris, France) - The French energy multinational Total Energies SE has completely taken over the electricity producer Total Eren. To date, Total Energies has held a 2017 percent stake in the project developer from the Eren Group, formerly known as Eren RE, since 29,2. At that time, an optional complete takeover after five years had already been agreed. Total Eren's almost 500 employees would be fully integrated into Total Energies' Renewable Energy business unit.
The transaction represents an investment of around 1,5 billion euros. The integration of Total Eren is expected to increase Total Energies' net operating income in the Integrated Power division by around 160 million euros in 2024, the company estimates.
Projects with sun, wind and hydrogen
Total Energies has renewable energy power plants worldwide with an installed capacity of 3,5 gigawatts and a project pipeline of over ten gigawatts of solar, wind, hydropower and storage projects in 30 countries. Of this, 1,2 gigawatts are under construction or in the late phase of development. Total Eren operates plants with a capacity of two gigawatts, particularly in Portugal, Greece, Australia and Brazil, as well as projects in India, Argentina, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Total Energies is increasingly divesting itself of its gas stations and the distribution of mineral fuels. Together with Daimler Truck AG, the group wants to develop a hydrogen infrastructure for road freight transport in Europe. © Daimler Truck AG
In March 2023, the group announced that it wanted to concentrate on developing new offerings for electric and hydrogen vehicles. That's why he sells his conventional ones Gas station networks in Germany (1.198 stations) and in the Netherlands (392 stations) to the Canadian Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. In Belgium and Luxembourg, Total Energies and Couche-Tard will establish a 40:60 joint venture that will own and operate the 619 gas stations there .
The plants in the four countries will be operated under the “Total Energies” brand as long as the company supplies the fuel, particularly from its refineries in Antwerp (Belgium) and Leuna (Germany); According to the information, “for at least five years”. The planned transaction worth 3,1 billion euros is expected to be completed this year.
At the end of 2021, Daimler Truck AG and Total Energies SE announced that they wanted one together Hydrogen infrastructure for heavy trucks in the European Union. According to the agreement, this includes “hydrogen procurement including the associated logistics, supplying hydrogen to filling stations, developing hydrogen-based trucks, building a customer base and other areas.”
The aim is to build more than 100 hydrogen filling stations on important European roads in France, the Benelux countries and Germany in the coming years. These stations will operate under the Total Energies brand, the companies announced earlier this year.
In recent years, Total Energies has also launched green hydrogen projects in various regions such as North Africa, Latin America and Australia. These activities are now to be intensified as part of a new partnership with the Eren Group under the name “TEH2”, whereby Total Energies will hold 80 percent of the joint venture.
TEH2 project in Finland
For its part, Total Eren recently announced that the hydrogen subsidiary TEH2 and the Finnish developer of large commercial plants for the production of e-fuels Aliceco Energy want to implement a joint plant called the “Vanadis Fuels Project” in the Finnish Kokkola Industrial Park (KIP).
Low-carbon fuels for industry and shipping are to be produced there. The Vanadis plant will therefore synthesize e-methanol (e-MeOH) by separating biogenic carbon dioxide from biomass and at the same time produce green hydrogen using an electrolyzer powered by renewable energies such as offshore and onshore wind farms and/or solar power plants. Production is scheduled to start in 2029 and the production capacity for e-methanol is up to 400.000 tons per year.
Aliceco wants to concentrate on local development in Kokkola, and Total Eren wants to contribute its know-how in the development, financing, construction and operation of solar and wind projects as well as hydrogen production plants. In addition to the Kokkola Industrial Park, the joint venture also names the local energy supplier Kokkolan Energia and the port of Kokkola, Finland's third largest general cargo port, as partners.
Cooperation with gas network operator VNG
In 2021, Total Eren acquired land in Magallanes, Chile, and commissioned feasibility studies to build a large-scale green hydrogen project. The “H2 Magallanes” project will consist of wind turbines with an installed capacity of up to ten gigawatts and produce 800.000 tons of hydrogen per year, which can then be transported at least partially as green ammonia by ship from Patagonia to Germany.
Rendering of a possible hydrogen production site along with Total Eren’s “Magallanes” ammonia export terminal in Patagonia, Chile. © Total Eren
More than a year ago, in April 2022, Total Eren commissioned the Scottish John Wood Group Plc to build a complete off-grid network in Chile Energy complex to develop. According to the information, these included wind turbines, an electrolysis capacity of eight gigawatts, a desalination plant, a plant for the production of ammonia (NH3), power lines and port facilities for the transport of green ammonia to national and international markets.
A few months later, in November last year, the Leipzig gas company VNG AG and Total Eren had one Cooperation agreement signed, which provides for the import of green hydrogen in the form of ammonia and its sale on the German and European markets from 2028.
Hydrogen hub in the Rostock area
The hydrogen cooperation enables the VNG subsidiary VNG Handel & Vertriebs GmbH (VNG H&V) to purchase green ammonia on the German coast and make it available to its customers directly or in the form of hydrogen from 2028. VNG, together with its subsidiaries, is currently planning to build a hydrogen and CO2 hub in the Rostock area. In addition, VNG H&V is holding discussions with customers to assess future needs for green ammonia and green hydrogen and to conclude initial purchase contracts.
Photos
Total Eren's “GRESS” wind farm on the heights of Grand' Rivière in Martinique consists of seven turbines with an output of two megawatts each and has a grid-connected battery system. GRESS is the largest wind farm with storage in the French Antilles. © Total Eren
