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The discovery of the Lacq gas field in 1951 provided natural gas for all of France and strengthened the country's energy autonomy. It transformed the entire region. The activities around the gas field - chemistry, sulphur production - revolutionized the region. Several research centres, including the Centre Scientifique et Technique Jean Féger (CSTJF) in Pau and the Pôle d'Études et de Recherche de Lacq, have been built to tackle technological and environmental challenges.

In May 2021, Total officially changed its name to TotalEnergies. This transformation marks an important milestone in the company’s history, reflecting its commitment to becoming a major player in the energy transition. The Company aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, by massively developing the production and sale of renewable energies, particularly green electricity. By adopting this new name, TotalEnergies embeds its strategy of transformation into a multi-energy company into its identity.

In September 2021, the OneTech branch was created to bring together all the technical and scientific skills of TotalEnergies, across all energies. It includes more than 3,500 engineers, technicians, and researchers spread across nine sites in Europe, working together to accelerate innovation and improve the energy efficiency of the Company’s industrial sites. This dedicated entity allows for a more transversal approach to reducing the carbon footprint across all energies, in order to accelerate the energy transition undertaken by the Company. With its two internationally renowned research centers, CSTJF and PERL, the TotalEnergies establishment in Pau is the most important site of the new OneTech branch.

  • CSTJF timeline - 1951
    Discovery of the Lacq (64 Pyrénées Atlantiques) gas reservoir: Drillers working for the French National Society of Aquitaine Oils (SNPA) were looking for oil and discovered gas at a depth of 3,450 m. Producing it was to prove a real challenge…
  • CSTJF timeline - 1957
    Begining of gas production in the Béarn: the industrial adventure begins! The Lacq gas processing plant was opened in April. It had a processing capacity of 1 million cubic meters per day. It was increased in stages to reach 33 million in 1975.
  • CSTJF timeline - 1958
    Inauguration of Mourenx the first new town in France. It was created entirely out of virgin land 5km from the gas site to house the workers and their families. The housing area was built using audacious architectural features reminiscent of the post-war boom...
  • CSTJF timeline - 1975
    Birth of the Béarn region industrial management company, SOBEGI: while in the local press, Lacq was dubbed “the French Texas”, a real production complex was constructed in Mourenx around a chemical industry hungry for gas or its derivatives. Since 2020, the SOBEGI manages the industrial platforms in Mourenx and Lacq.
  • CSTJF timeline - 1986
    Creation of the Lacq Research Group GRL: This economic interest group was shared between Arkema and Total Petrochemicals France in 2004. Established in 1959, the part now owned by the Company is the Platform for Experimental Research in Lacq (PERL) linked to the CSTJF/R&D department.
  • Inauguration of the CSTJF: The center for research and leading expertise built to the north of Pau, bears the name of one of the engineers who discovered the Lacq gas reservoir. The 27-hectare site is now has 5,000 m² of laboratory space and 30,000 m² of office space for 2,900 employees of 65 different nationalities.
  • The TotalEnergies establishment in Pau, a pillar of the OneTech branch created at the end of 2021, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Company which was founded in Iraq in 1924.

Discover our industrial History

Whether local or national, our history is closely linked to that of our region and country from both a human and collective standpoint. Find out all about the wealth of our shared heritage, through a series of articles and videos.