Apr 18, 2018 - Energy & Climate

Total's power move

Ben Geman

Total refinery in Donges, France. Photo: Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images

France-based multinational oil giant Total announced Wednesday that it's acquiring a 74% stake in the big French electricity company Direct Energie.

Why it matters: It's another sign that European oil giants are increasingly entering the electricity and vehicle electrification space, a move driven in part by pressure from climate policy to diversify their businesses.

Details:

The deal is valued at 1.4 billion euros and represents Total's latest move into the power space.
It's also Total's biggest investment in low-carbon power thus far, the consultancy Wood Mackenzie said in a brief note Wednesday.

"This friendly takeover is part of the [Total] Group’s strategy to expand along the entire gas-electricity value chain and to develop low-carbon energies, in line with our ambition to become the responsible energy major."

— Total CEO Patrick Pouyanné said in a statement.

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Total's power move

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