From Pau, TotalEnergies explores the connections between meteorology, oceans and energy projects

Who are you? 
My name is Claire Channellière. I’m something of a traveler, as I’ve moved around a lot since childhood, both in France and abroad. I’ve been a Metocean specialist for 20 years and working at TotalEnergies for 15 years. 

What does your role at TotalEnergies involve? 
My role is to provide TotalEnergies with data on wind, waves and currents, for both existing and future installations, whether in renewable energies or in oil and gas. Increasingly, this also includes the climate change component, to better understand its potential impacts on our facilities. 

Why is this role strategic for the Company? 
Without Metocean data, projects move forward somewhat blindly, which can lead to significant costs for TotalEnergies, both now and in the future. 

A common misconception about your job? 
I don’t have a crystal ball, I won’t be able to tell you what the weather will be like tomorrow or the day after. My work focuses more on analysing what has happened in the past, in order to assess probabilities and better understand what could happen in the future. 

What motivates you in your job? 
Physical oceanography is a relatively young science, which means we are constantly discovering new, or still poorly understood, phenomena that can have a significant impact on our activities. 

Would you rather explain your job to a child or to a grandmother? 
I’ve done both, and it’s always a bit challenging! But the simple explanation is always the same: I study wind, waves and currents. 

Your favourite word in your job? 
Passion because the sea is a real passion for me. 

And a word you never want to hear again? 
Certain statements, like saying that the water temperature at the bottom of the Caspian Sea is the same as in the Atlantic Ocean. That’s not true. The ocean is complex, and conditions can change dramatically over just a few tens of kilometres. 

If your job were a cake, what would it be? 
A mille‑feuille, because there are so many layers, whether in the atmosphere or in the ocean. And yet, everything works together in harmony. 

Your “weather reflex” outside of work? 
I count the waves when I’m at the ocean.