TotalEnergies SE
Company History
TotalEnergies History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1924 in Paris, France
When was TotalEnergies founded?
TotalEnergies was founded in 1924 in Paris, France by Raymond Poincaré and Ernest Mercier, making it 102 years old.
- Founded
- 1924
- Founding place
- Paris, France
- Founders
- Raymond Poincaré and Ernest Mercier
- Headquarters today
- Paris, France
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1924–2026)
- Current CEO
- Patrick Pouyanné
- Acquisitions
- 4
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1924 | Compagnie Francaise des Petroles founded |
| 1954 | Total Brand Created |
| 1995 | Thierry Desmarest becomes CEO |
| 1999 | Petrofina acquired; Elf Aquitaine follows in 2000 |
| 2000 | Elf Aquitaine Acquired |
| 2007 | Christophe de Margerie becomes CEO |
| 2011 | Acquired SunPower (majority stake) |
| 2018 | Direct Energie acquired |
| 2021 | Total becomes TotalEnergies |
| 2025 | 2025 results |
| 2026 | Mozambique LNG full restart |
| 2026 | Q2 2026 results |
- Where was TotalEnergies founded?
- TotalEnergies was founded in Paris, France in 1924.
- Where is TotalEnergies headquartered?
- TotalEnergies is headquartered in Paris, France.
- Who founded TotalEnergies?
- TotalEnergies was founded by Raymond Poincaré and Ernest Mercier.
- When did TotalEnergies start?
- TotalEnergies was founded in 1924.
- How old is TotalEnergies?
- TotalEnergies is 102 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Compagnie Française des Pétroles (CFP) was created in Paris in 1924 at the request of Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré, with industrialist Ernest Mercier as its first chairman. Its job was to hold France's 23.75% stake in the Turkish Petroleum Company (later Iraq Petroleum Company), the share France received after World War I. The French state took a direct stake in 1929. CFP's partners discovered oil at Kirkuk in 1927, and in the 1950s the company found major oil and gas in the Algerian Sahara, including Hassi Messaoud in 1956. The Total brand for fuels launched in 1954, and the company itself was renamed Total in 1991 as the state progressively sold down its holding during the 1990s. Total acquired Belgium's Petrofina in 1999 and Elf Aquitaine in 2000, operating as TotalFinaElf before returning to the Total name in 2003. After CEO Christophe de Margerie died in a 2014 plane accident in Moscow, Patrick Pouyanné took over, bought Saft (2016), Direct Energie (2018) and a 50% stake in Clearway Energy Group (2022), and shareholders approved the TotalEnergies name in May 2021.
Founders
Raymond Poincaré
Raymond Poincaré was President of France during World War I and Prime Minister when his government pushed for a national oil company in 1924. His administration wanted a French-controlled vehicle to hold France's post-war share of Middle Eastern oil, which led to the creation of Compagnie Française des Pétroles. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Ernest Mercier
Ernest Mercier was the industrialist chosen to set up and chair Compagnie Française des Pétroles. He assembled French banks and industrial shareholders to fund the company and led it through its early years as it took up France's stake in the Iraq Petroleum Company and built refining capacity in France. Ernest Mercier was born in 1878 in Constantine. Education: Supélec. Mercier was born in 1878 in Constantine, Algeria, where his father Jean Ernest Mercier was a historian and mayor, and died in 1955.
Key Milestones
Compagnie Francaise des Petroles founded
The French state-backed oil company was created to secure access to petroleum resources and became the predecessor of TotalEnergies.
Source: totalenergies.comTotal Brand Created
The company created the Total brand in 1954 to build a retail distribution network.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgThierry Desmarest becomes CEO
Thierry Desmarest became CEO of TotalEnergies in 1995. Led Total from 1995 to 2007 and engineered the Petrofina and Elf Aquitaine combinations; remained Chairman until 2010.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgPetrofina acquired; Elf Aquitaine follows in 2000
Total combined with Belgium's Petrofina in 1999 and Elf Aquitaine in 2000, operating as TotalFinaElf before reverting to Total in 2003.
Source: totalenergies.comElf Aquitaine Acquired
Total acquired Elf Aquitaine in 2000, forming TotalFinaElf.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgChristophe de Margerie becomes CEO
Christophe de Margerie became CEO of TotalEnergies in 2007. CEO from 2007 and Chairman from 2010 until his death in a plane accident at Moscow's Vnukovo airport in October 2014.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAcquired SunPower (majority stake)
TotalEnergies acquired SunPower (majority stake).
Source: en.wikipedia.orgDirect Energie acquired
Total bought French power and gas retailer Direct Energie, the base of its European retail electricity business.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgTotal becomes TotalEnergies
The company changed its name to TotalEnergies to reflect a broader multi-energy strategy spanning oil, gas, electricity, renewables, and low-carbon energy.
Source: totalenergies.com2025 results
Revenues from sales of $182.344 billion, adjusted net income of $15.6 billion (down 15%), IFRS net income of $13.127 billion and a €3.40 dividend.
Source: totalenergies.comMozambique LNG full restart
On January 29, 2026, Patrick Pouyanné and President Daniel Chapo announced the full restart of the roughly $20 billion Mozambique LNG project after force majeure was lifted in November 2025.
Source: totalenergies.comQ2 2026 results
Adjusted net income of $6.0 billion and cash flow of $9.8 billion in the second quarter as higher oil prices tied to the Middle East conflict lifted earnings.
Source: totalenergies.comMajor Acquisitions
Petrofina and Elf Aquitaine
1999Total combined with Belgium's Petrofina in 1999 and won control of French rival Elf Aquitaine in 2000, adding upstream assets in Africa and the North Sea plus European refining and retail.
SunPower (majority stake)
2011Total bought a 60% stake in U.S. solar panel maker SunPower, its first large solar investment.
Saft Groupe
2016Total acquired French battery maker Saft to add energy storage technology.
Direct Energie
2018Total bought French electricity and gas retailer Direct Energie to build a retail power business in Europe.
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TotalEnergies Company History FAQ
When, where, and by whom was TotalEnergies originally founded?
TotalEnergies was founded on March 28, 1924, in Paris, France, as the Compagnie Française des Pétroles (CFP) at the initiative of French Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré and industrialist Ernest Mercier.
What historical event led to the creation of CFP in 1924?
Following World War I, the San Remo Oil Agreement of 1920 awarded France Germany's former 23.75% share in the Turkish Petroleum Company (later Iraq Petroleum Company). Prime Minister Poincaré created CFP to manage this national energy asset and secure French oil independence.
What was the landmark 1927 Kirkuk oil discovery in Iraq?
In October 1927, CFP and its international partners discovered the massive Kirkuk oil field in Iraq, one of the largest petroleum reservoirs in the world, establishing CFP as a major international crude producer.
How did discoveries in the Algerian Sahara in the 1950s expand the company?
In 1956, CFP discovered giant oil and natural gas fields at Hassi Messaoud and Hassi R'Mel in the Algerian Sahara, transforming France's domestic energy security and pioneering desert pipeline engineering.
When was the "Total" brand name introduced to consumers?
In 1954, CFP launched the "Total" brand name with a distinctive red-and-blue torch logo for its retail service stations and automotive lubricants, eventually renaming the entire holding company Total in 1991 as the French state privatized its shares.
What were the transformative mega-mergers with Petrofina and Elf Aquitaine in 1999–2000?
Under CEO Thierry Desmarest, Total acquired Belgian oil company Petrofina for $13 billion in 1999, followed by a $54 billion hostile-turned-friendly takeover of French rival Elf Aquitaine in 2000, creating TotalFinaElf, the world's fourth-largest supermajor.
Who was Christophe de Margerie and what was his tragic legacy as CEO?
Christophe de Margerie (known as "Big Mustache") served as CEO from 2007 until October 2014, securing premier LNG partnerships in Russia (Yamal LNG) and the Middle East before tragically dying in a private aircraft accident in Moscow.
When did Patrick Pouyanné take over and how did he restructure the company?
Patrick Pouyanné became CEO in October 2014 and Chairman in 2015. He dramatically lowered company-wide operating breakevens below $30 per barrel, acquired Maersk Oil ($7.45B), battery pioneer Saft, and utility Direct Énergie.
Why did shareholders approve renaming the company to "TotalEnergies" in 2021?
In May 2021, shareholders voted nearly unanimously to rename the company TotalEnergies SE to reflect its strategic transformation into a multi-energy major producing oil, natural gas, LNG, renewable electricity, and green hydrogen.
How did TotalEnergies establish itself as the world's #3 integrated LNG player?
TotalEnergies methodically built an integrated LNG empire spanning gas liquefaction in Qatar (North Field East & South), the U.S. Gulf Coast (Cameron LNG, Rio Grande), Australia (Ichthys), and Mozambique, backed by a massive global LNG carrier fleet.
What was the Mozambique LNG force majeure and its 2026 restart?
In 2021, TotalEnergies declared force majeure on its $20 billion Mozambique LNG project following regional insurgent attacks near Palma. Following regional security stabilization and socio-economic rebuilding, the project officially resumed construction in 2026.
Where is TotalEnergies headquartered today?
TotalEnergies is headquartered in the Tour TotalEnergies skyscraper in the La Défense business district of Courbevoie, near Paris, France, managing operations across approximately 120 countries.
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