The entire investment amounts to 600 million

Total starts to achieve his ambitions in solar energy. Almost three years after having created a gas and renewable, the Group yesterday won his first project for the construction of central to the outcome of a tender carried out in 2008 and lengthy negotiations with local authorities. Associated Spanish Abengoa Solar, the tanker was officially selected by the United Arab Emirates United to build a solar power station at concentration of 100 megawatts of capacity in Abu Dhabi.

Much less developed than the solar photovoltaic, this type of technology is to focus on a heat transfer fluid mirrors to generate steam and electricity. Named "shams 1", the plant will use about 800 parabolic mirrors on a surface area of 2.5 square kilometres. Its construction is expected to last two years and start year 2010. This will be the largest of this type in the world.

The entire investment amounts to $ 600 million. Total will be 20 in this project, alongside Abengoa Solar (20) and Masdar (60), the green city of the Government of Abu Dhabi project.

In the call for tenders, Total and Abengoa were in competition with three consortia: Spanish Iberdrola associated with the Saudi Acwa Power, Germans Man Ferrostaal and Solar Millennium, and the Spanish Sener and Grupo Cobra. Total brought his knowledge of the terrain and the oil used as a heat transfer fluid while Abengoa Solar provided parabolic mirrors. Franco duo suggested the lower electricity prices in return for an investment of more important departure.

Early 2010, consortium had nevertheless to lower its cost of 10 at the request of Abu Dhabi to take account of the decline in the price of the equipment. Even today, provided kilowatt-hour prices remain significantly higher than that of the traditional electrical network.

Two small investments

For Total, this project is an important step. "It is the beginning of the visible evidence of our commitment in the solar," explains Philippe Boisseau, Director of the domestic gas and new energies of Total. The tanker advance counted steps in this area. Much more prudent than Areva and Siemens, the Group merely two small investments in U.S. start-ups. End of 2008, Total acquired about 25 of Konarka, a manufacturer of organic solar cells, for $ 45 million. At the beginning of week he took 25.4 of AE polysilicon, a specialist of purified silicon, the raw material of solar cells. Amount of investment: $ 53 million. End of 2007, Total planned to go further by investing up to 500 million in the construction of a plant of purified Silicon. A possibility of acquisition had been identified in 2008 at the Netherlands, before being ousted. Total had also engaged in discussions with Norwegian REC on a plant project to the Canada.

Today, the ambitions of the group have not changed. "Our strategy is to become a great integrated player solar, from the purification of Silicon panels installation term," provides Philippe Boisseau. But, to achieve this goal, Total clearly put on the development of a technology failure.

In the meantime, major groups Chinese and American as Suntech, Yingli or First Solar invest in arms turn in production capacity. Eventually, a rise of Total in solar will probably require an industry partnership with one of them.