Total has announced the acquisition of Fonroche Biogaz, a company that designs, builds and operates anaerobic digestion units in France.

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

Philippe Sauquet, President Gas, Renewables & Power at Total, said the acquisition is consistent with the company’s strategy and its climate ambition to get to net-zero by 2050.

“We believe that renewable gas has a key role to play in the energy transition as it contributes to reducing the carbon intensity of natural gas – and we support the imposition of renewable gas incorporation in natural gas networks,” Mr Sauquet said.

“In 2020, we stated our intention to contribute to the development of this sector, which we expect to become more competitive in the next few years. We intend to produce 1.5 terawatt-hours (TWh) of biomethane a year by 2025 and Fonroche Biogas is therefore the cornerstone of our development in this market.”

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 inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Clean Energy to establish a $100 million 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.

Image courtesy of Total.