Total becomes a major player in renewable gas with the acquisition of Fonroche Biogaz

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Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.

Total announces the acquisition of Fonroche Biogaz, a company that designs, builds and operates anaerobic digestion units in France. Total intends to produce 1.5 terawatt-hours (TWh) of biomethane a year by 2025 and Fonroche Biogas is the cornerstone of its development in this market.

Figure 1. Total becomes a major player in renewable gas with the acquisition of Fonroche Biogaz (taken from the press release)

With close to 500 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of installed capacity, which doubled between 2019 and 2020, Fonroche Biogaz is today the French market leader in the production of renewable gas with more than 10% market share thanks to a portfolio of seven units in operation and a pipeline of four imminent projects.

With this acquisition, Total becomes a major player in renewable gas in France and Europe, and significantly strengthens its presence in the sector, already effective through its affiliates Méthanergy (combined heat and power production from biogas), PitPoint and Clean Energy (biomethane production and distribution via a network of Bio-CNG/Bio-LNG stations) in Benelux and the United States respectively. In December 2020, Total signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Clean Energy to establish a 100 M$ 50/50 joint venture to develop renewable gas production projects in the United States. By 2030, Total plans to produce 4 to 6 TWh of biomethane a year.

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