France's TotalEnergies 'unable to end' Russian gas purchases

TotalEnergies' chief executive said Wednesday the French giant could not stop buying Russian natural gas in retaliation for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, arguing it would force a partial economic shutdown in Europe.  

TotalEnergies says unless European countries impose sanctions on Russian gas, allowing companies to break existing contracts, they'd have to pay billions in penalties to Russia. AFP - CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT

The company had announced Tuesday that it would stop buying Russia's oil and petroleum products by the end of this year, the latest of several multinationals to halt or curtail their operations in the country.

But CEO Patrick Pouyanne said ending its natural gas purchases from Russia would effectively hand over billions of euros to Russian investors.

Unlike oil, which can more easily be shipped for sale anywhere in the world, natural gas is often supplied via pipelines directly to individual countries and clients.

"I know how to replace this oil and diesel fuel," Pouyanne told RTL radio, but "with gas, I don't know how to do it."

"I don't know how to replace it, there isn't any other available, and I have 25-year contracts that I can't get out of."

• France's TotalEnergies to halt Russia oil purchases by year's end

Unless European governments impose sanctions on Russian gas, which would allow companies to declare force majeure to break contracts, pulling out of existing deals would require TotalEnergies to pay billions in penalties to its Russian partners.

Pouyanne also warned that European economies would pay a heavy price.

"Without Russian gas, you stop part of the European economy ... If we stop Russian gas we know that in winter 2023 we have a problem; in January we'd have to ration gas use, not for households but probably for industry," he said.

"European governments have not decided to sanction Russian gas because we need it," says the CEO of French energy giant TotalEnergies. https://t.co/uFq24g0k3b

— POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) March 23, 2022

Pouyanne also said Total would not suddenly stop its Russian operations completely, since "we've invested nearly $13 billion (€11,84 billion) in these sites ... that are going to operate whether I leave or not."

"Pulling out would mean I'd be giving this $13 billion to the Russians ... Should I abandon these assets to enrich the Russians that we have sanctioned?"

But Pouyanne insisted that in the wake of Russia's assault on Ukraine there was no future growth for TotalEnergies in Russia.

"I've crossed out all the future we were building in Russia," he said, noting that Russia accounted for 5 percent of its cashflow and 10 percent of its earnings.

"Do you think that even after this war, I'm going to forget what has happened?" he said.

(With agencies)