TotalEnergies and Veolia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to deepen collaboration across key areas of the energy transition and circular economy, supporting both companies’ goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water footprints. This partnership aims to scale innovative processes and accelerate research on future-oriented industrial challenges, benefiting the broader sector.
The cooperation will leverage the companies’ complementary industrial expertise: Veolia will bring its capabilities in water resource management and resource recovery from new waste streams, while TotalEnergies contributes its know-how in methane emissions measurement and reduction, as well as low-carbon energy production and supply.
Reducing Methane Emissions at Waste Storage Centers
Veolia is exploring the use of TotalEnergies’ AUSEA technology, an innovative drone-based solution for measuring methane emissions at landfills. Initial trials have shown the system’s ability to deliver accurate, replicable measurements, detect leaks, and pinpoint high-emission areas-enhancing Veolia’s tools for methane capture and reduction.
This deployment supports Veolia’s goal of capturing 80% of methane emissions from waste storage centers by 2032, while extending the technology’s applications beyond the oil and gas industry.
Lowering the Industrial Sector’s Water Footprint
Veolia will assist TotalEnergies in achieving its ambition to reduce freshwater withdrawals by 20% by 2030 at sites located in water-stressed areas and to enhance wastewater discharge quality.
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Following a recent agreement between Veolia and SATORP in Saudi Arabia, the two companies will collaborate on wastewater reuse projects at TotalEnergies facilities, including repurposing municipal wastewater for industrial processes and deploying Veolia technologies to improve water treatment efficiency.
Sustainable Desalination with Low-Carbon Energy
TotalEnergies will also support Veolia in scaling low-carbon energy solutions at desalination plants operated or constructed by Veolia. Together, the companies have already delivered the largest solar-powered seawater desalination facility in Oman.
This initiative aligns with Veolia’s goal to double its desalination capacity by 2030, while continuing to reduce the energy intensity of a technology that now consumes ten times less energy than previously.
Recovering Strategic Resources from Waste
The partnership will further explore the industrialization of processes for recovering strategic chemical elements from under-utilized waste, including rare earths from permanent magnets in wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, and batteries, combining both companies’ research and innovation capabilities.
“I am very pleased with the agreement signed today with TotalEnergies: by combining our expertise, whether in sustainable water management, the circular economy or the reduction of methane emissions, we are putting our innovation capabilities at the service of the ecological transformation and the competitiveness of our industries,” commented Estelle Brachlianoff, Veolia’s Chief Executive Officer.
“We are delighted with this partnership with Veolia. TotalEnergies has cutting-edge solutions and technologies to offer Veolia and vice versa. Together, we can make a concrete contribution to the energy transition and the circular economy. We are convinced that cooperations like those we are developing with Veolia are very useful to make tangible progress and sustainably limit the environmental footprint of our companies,” said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies.