Our commitment to climate

Climate and Sustainable Energy: More Energy, Less Emissions

TotalEnergies is committed to leading the energy transition by providing cleaner, more reliable, and more accessible energy for all. Since 2010, the Company has implemented targeted action plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the energy efficiency of its facilities.

Furthermore, TotalEnergies reaffirms its ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, together with society. In this context, it actively collaborates with national and international organizations to identify joint solutions that limit the rise in global temperatures to below 2°C. This proactive approach reflects our commitment to sustainability and the fight against climate change.

Our Responsibility for Environmental Stewardship

At Total Austral, the Argentine affiliate of TotalEnergies, environmental impact assessments are conducted before launching projects, defining the initial state of the environment and the potential impacts of operations. Specific mitigation measures are then outlined for the execution phase, and site restoration is carried out upon project completion.

Open dialogue with communities and local authorities is an integral part of the process, enabling the identification and prevention of environmental risks while complying with the highest standards. This collaborative and science-based approach ensures that Total Austral’s operations not only meet current regulations but also incorporate best practices from the energy industry.

Actions Aligned with Our Commitment to the Energy Transition and Sustainable Development

To reach carbon neutrality by 2050, together with society, the Company develops specific action plans with short and medium-term targets. These include reducing emissions from operated facilities (Scope 1+2) by more than 40% by 2030 compared to 2015 levels; reducing methane emissions by 80% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels; and reducing indirect emissions related to its products (Scope 3), supporting the transformation of customer energy demand.

Scope 1: Direct emissions from operated sites (e.g., use of liquid and gaseous fuels, flaring, venting, fugitive emissions).
Scope 2: Indirect emissions from energy consumption and distribution (e.g., purchase of electricity from the grid).
Scope 3: Indirect emissions not included in Scope 2 that occur across the Company’s value chain (e.g., transport and use of marketed products, procurement of goods and services, employee travel, waste treatment).

In line with this commitment, a work team was formed at TotalEnergies in Argentina to develop a roadmap of projects for reduction of GHG emissions both in Neuquén and in Tierra del Fuego, classified in Level 1 and Level 2 Projects.

Level 1 Projects are low investment capital initiatives which may be rapidly implemented and which, in the aggregate, have a strong impact on carbon footprint reduction, to wit:

Optimized use of MP A/B turbines (Tierra del Fuego). An optimization survey was conducted of our turbine operation philosophy which enabled us to stop a turbine at Cañadon Alfa plant until the start-up of the second well of Fénix project, without affecting the gas potential and significantly reducing carbon emissions.
Optimized electric generation at Río Cullen (Tierra del Fuego). After a detailed analysis, we challenged the generation concept, which enabled us to stop a turbine generator at Río Cullen and keep only one Gas Lift compressor in operation.
Battery flare turn off (Tierra del Fuego & Neuquén). After a risk analysis and a detailed balance of Greenhouse Gas emissions, flares of Batteries 3, 4 and Alfa Sur in Tierra del Fuego and USP#3 in Neuquén were turned off, thus eliminating gas flaring and limiting venting to exceptional emergency cases.
Stripping gas optimization (Tierra del Fuego). Thanks to a detailed operational analysis, and challenging operational philosophy, almost all stripping gas was reduced from the glycol units involved in the regeneration of MEG used for offshore gas production.
Shutdown of the HP flare in Río Cullen (Tierra del Fuego): We conducted a relief study of the entire Río Cullen plant. As a result, the high-pressure flare was shut down, eliminating the burning of sweep gas and seal gas from all its burners.
Seal gas diversion in turbines (Tierra del Fuego): The hydraulic seal gas from all turbines at the Cañadón Alfa plant was redirected to the low-pressure flare. For this project, new pipelines were installed to connect the vent outlets of each turbine to the plant’s low-pressure flare. This way, the gas that was previously vented is now burned in the flare. It’s worth noting that vented gas is 30 times more polluting than burned gas.
Instrument Gas Replacement (Tierra del Fuego & Neuquén).
• Tierra del Fuego. Instrument gas was replaced by instrument air. For this project, an air pipeline network was built from the Cañadón Alfa plant reaching all batteries.
• Neuquén. 100% of the chemical injection skids were electrified and solarized, thus reducing methane emissions by 1kt per year. The replacement of instrument gas with compressed air was also carried out in the batteries and clusters of San Roque and Aguada Pichana Este plants.
Optimization of the use of turbine compressors (Neuquén). A study was conducted to optimize the operation of turbine compressors, which allowed us to reduce fuel gas consumption by adjusting suction pressures (Aguada Pichana Este) and avoid complete recirculation of the plant (San Roque), without affecting the gas potential and significantly reducing carbon emissions.
Purchase of renewable energy for San Roque (Neuquén). Two agreements were entered into for the supply of wind and solar energy, which supply 80 to 100% of renewable energy.
Flare monitoring (Neuquén and Tierra del Fuego). Monitoring and adjustment chambers were installed to ensure flare ignition and to reduce methane emissions.
Early shutdown of wellhead compressors (Neuquén). This initiative contributed to significantly reduce methane emissions.
Improved availability of the Vapor Recovery Unit (VRU) at Rincón La Ceniza (Neuquén). The project improved the operation of this compressor, reducing associated venting.
Replacement of blanketing gas with Nitrogen (Neuquén and Tierra del Fuego). It consists of replacing the natural gas injected into the production water tank at Aguada Pichana Este plant (Neuquén) and the MEG tanks at Río Cullen plant (Tierra del Fuego) with nitrogen to create an inert atmosphere that prevents associated methane emissions.

Level 2 Projects include large-scale projects which demand significant survey, development and investment efforts in the medium and long term, to wit:

Condensate Stabilization at Rincón La Ceniza (Neuquén). The installation of a very low- pressure compressor (LLP) to avoid tank venting associated with the increase of condensate production and reduce emissions during truck loading.
A new high voltage line to operate the Aguada Pichana Este plant with renewable energy (Neuquén). A 132 kV and 43 km High Voltage Line was laid, connecting the Aguada Pichana Este plant to the Loma Campana Transformer Station, enabling access to the Sistema Argentino de Interconexión (SADI). This allowed us to replace the use of fuel gas generators with renewable energy, and we now have a low-emission platform to operate this plant.
Renewable energy supply (Neuquén): TotalEnergies Renovables Argentina built the 14MWp Amanecer IV solar park in Catamarca to supply renewable energy to the Aguada Pichana Este and San Roque plants, located in Neuquén.
Compressor electrification (Neuquén). Replacement of Aguada Pichana Este gas compressors with integrated electric motor compressors, supplied by renewable energy, to reduce the main source of emissions: fuel gas.
Operation in high pressure (HP) mode in Aguada Pichana Este (Neuquén). This project is intended to take advantage of Vaca Muerta wells pressure and operate in HP during the first years of production. This avoids gas compression and enables shutting down a turbine compressor, significantly reducing fuel gas consumption and associated emissions.
Wind farm (Tierra del Fuego). The development studies have been completed and the final investment decision (FID) has been made for this project, which aims to install a wind farm that will generate renewable energy needed to power Río Cullen and Cañadón Alfa plants in Tierra del Fuego.
Blanketing gas recovery at Río Cullen (Tierra del Fuego). The purpose of this development is the recovery, compression and re-injection of safety vent gases ("blanketing") from the Río Cullen oil export tanks.
Elimination of blanketing gas at Cañadón Alfa (Tierra del Fuego). The blanketing gas in the liquid tanks at batteries 1 and 2 of Cañadón Alfa plant was replaced with nitrogen. The shutdown of their respective flares is currently under evaluation.
New flares in Aguada Pichana Este plant (Neuquén): The old flare system will be replaced by a state-of-the-art vertical flare, which is much more efficient.
Recovery of Flared Gas (Tierra del Fuego). This is aimed at recovering safety gases in the flares of the Río Cullen and Cañadón Alfa plants, by means of a recovery, compression and reinjection system.
Waste Heat Recovery Unit (Tierra del Fuego). The development studies for the installation of a heat recovery system at the exhaust of the turbines of the Turbo Expander Facility (TEF) at the Cañadon Alfa plant have been completed, to replace one of its furnaces.

Actions and Certifications

To manage our environmental impact, improve our energy efficiency and reduce our emissions are key targets for TotalEnergies. For such reason we have developed the Environmental Management System (SGA, by its acronym in Spanish), which provides the framework for the continuous improvement of our environmental performance. It is made up of a manual and seven general procedures which comprise each of the requirements to comply with the ISO 14001:2015 Standard. This international standard controls, audits and helps improve the environmental management operations of companies.

Thus, our SGA allows us to establish annual targets, taking into account legal requirements and environmental aspects and impacts derived from our activities to be able to be ISO 14001:2015 certified at all sites at which we operate.

As of today, all Total Austral sites are ISO 14001:2015 certified.

Buenos Aires (see certificate)
Neuquén (see certificate)

- Aguada Pichana

- San Roque

- Rincón la Ceniza

- City of Neuquén Offices

Tierra del Fuego (see certificate)

- Río Cullen and offshore activities (Hidra Norte, Hidra Centro, Carina, Aries and Vega Pléyade Rigs)

- Cañadón Alfa

- Río Grande Offices

- Punta Quilla Logistic Base (Province of Santa Cruz)

In turn, Total Especialidades Argentina has the following certifications:

Environmental Management System: ISO 14001:2015 (certification obtained for the production of lubricants)
Quality Management System: ISO 9001:2016 (certification obtained for the production of lubricants, sales and technical support) and IATF 16949 (certification obtained for the production of lubricants for the factory fill of automobiles, sales and technical support).

Current and Future Commitment

Environmental care is our main concern to develop a sustainable activity that can be maintained through time. In this regard, while specific objectives may vary from year to year, our final goal remains the same: to respect the environment and minimize environmental impact in each of the activities we carry out. It is TotalEnergies’ commitment to know, preserve and protect environmental biodiversity at those places where it carries out its activities. Total Austral conducts specific surveys in this regard and drafts biodiversity management plans aimed at the harmonious development of operations, especially protecting those species that are most sensitive or in risk according to their international classification (IUCN).

We consider that it is critical to foster an environmental culture shared by all of us at TotalEnergies Argentina. Therefore, on a daily basis we devote all our efforts to implement initiatives that lead us to continue consolidating as a pioneer company in the respect for the environment.