TotalEnergies

For more than 40 years, TotalEnergies Direction France has been committed to working with entrepreneurs to support regional employment and economic development. In the Béarn and South-West regions, where TotalEnergies has been present for more than 70 years, TotalEnergies Direction France works with the CSTJF and PERL on a wide range of topics such as CO2 capture and methane decarbonation... The two sites have always offered their support to project leaders: expertise, network, equipment, research, international contacts, etc. The aim is to contribute to the attractiveness of the region.

To attract new industrial projects, Business France is also promoting the Lacq and Mourenx platforms as one of the top 12 French turnkey industrial sites ("Choose France" summit on January 20, 2020).  

Supporting projects: that is TotalEnergies Direction France’s promise to businesses. From 1979 to 2020, the TotalEnergies Direction France's balance sheet shows more than 4,300 companies supported, nearly 352 million euros of loans and 82,000 jobs created or maintained.

The health crisis we have been experiencing since January 2020 has caused profound structural changes and upset the strategic visions of French companies. As a true partner in daily life, TotalEnergies Direction France has multiplied its support actions to help its award winners continue their activities and has made the responsible choice to suspend, during the second and third quarters of 2020, the repayment of loans to award winners. In 2020, 111 SMEs were supported, nearly €4.2 million in loans were committed and more than 3,100 jobs were supported in France.

TotalEnergies Direction France, in particular Eric Verbrugge who is based locally, work hand in hand with CHEMPARC, local economic players (the Pau Pyrénées Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Lacq Orthez community of municipalities, among others) and SOBEGI (an affiliate fully owned by TotalEnergies) to prospect for and support the implementation of industrial projects on and near the Lacq and Mourenx platforms (IndusLacq and Chem'pôle 64, respectively).

TotalEnergies Direction France has carried out a series of actions and developed tools to increase the visibility of platforms managed by SOBEGI. Read the following articles on our website: Experience the Lacq Advantage are SOBEGI's plug&play solutions for taking action, acting sustainably, innovating and fostering growth in the Lacq basin.

TotalEnergies Direction France works alongside its regional economic development partners (the Entreprendre network, CCI, Aquiti, Initiative France, and techno-parks such as Helioparc, etc.) to identify SMEs and start-ups that they could support together in order to accelerate their growth. Southwest France is often cited as one of the most dynamic regions in the country owing, in part, to TotalEnergies Direction France’s contribution to the development of employment and the creation of economic value.

ALPHA CHITIN, a producer of chitin, the second most abundant biopolymer in nature after cellulose, has set up in the Lacq basin in 2020. The company is being supported by TotalEnergies Direction France, SOBEGI and all the local players involved in completing its financing plan and setting up operations. It will be set up in two phases: the first industrial phase will have an initial capacity of 140 t/year for an investment of €14 million and will create 20 direct jobs. The second phase, in four years, will increase the unit's capacity to 550 t/year with 53 new jobs.

EXPATEO, based in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, offers international mobility management software. TotalEnergies Direction France supported the company in the creation of a new B2B offering with a €30,000 interest-free loan. The loan enabled the company to continue its development with a small number of key clients despite the slowdown in the expatriation dynamic due to the health crisis.

Planète Eco-Solutions, based in the Hautes-Pyrénées, is an operator in energy efficiency and renovation (insulation, photovoltaic solar energy, etc.). The company has developed a device that identifies appliances that consume too much electricity. TotalEnergies Direction France financed the company's creation with a €30,000 interest-free loan.

ASYSTOM, located in the Haute-Garonne and Aude departments, offers a ready-to-use predictive maintenance solution that can monitor industrial equipment to reduce the risk of unscheduled production interruptions. TotalEnergies Regional Development supported this SME with a €40,000 interest-free loan that enabled it to consolidate and develop its sales during the health crisis.

COVEN, located in the Gironde department, has created training courses in the prevention of professional risks via a simulation in the form of an escape game. The exercise takes place in a truck configured by COVEN and can thus be deployed on any site of the customer. TotalEnergies Regional Development granted a 20 000 € interest-free loan to the SME.