Acquisition

Total S.A.
20 June 2005


                    Total Partners Development of Wave Power, 
                              a New Renewable Energy

Paris, June 20, 2005 - As part of its commitment to renewable energies such as 
solar power and wind energy, Total has decided to participate in a third option 
for renewables-based power generation, through the acquisition of a 10% interest 
in a pilot project offshore Santona, northern Spain, to develop ocean swell and 
wave power.

The other partners are Iberdrola(1) (60%), Sodercan(2) (10%), IDAE(3) (10%), and 
Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) (10%), which is supplying the technology, already 
implemented offshore the United States. Studies are in progress to design and 
size the installations, in particular generation capacity, which is expected to 
be around 1.5 MW.

This research and development project will help to define the technical and 
financial potential of wave power which works by capturing and converting the 
energy of waves into a controlled mechanical force that drives an electrical 
generator.

Total has also signed an agreement with Iberdrola and OPT to study 
implementation of wave power in France. Initially, the partners will identify 
potential sites offshore the French coast. If conditions are favourable, in 
particular among local populations, they could later develop one or more power 
generation units.

With this transaction, Total confirms its long-standing interest in renewable 
energies. The Group has been active in photovoltaic solar power for more than 20 
years, operating through two companies, Photovoltech and Tenesol. Following the 
inauguration of its first wind farm near Dunkirk in 2003, France, Total is now 
actively looking at a number of large-scale onshore and offshore wind power 
projects in Europe, especially in France, Spain and the United Kingdom.
    

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Total is the fourth largest oil and gas company in the world with operations in 
more than 130 countries. Total's activities cover the whole energy chain of the 
petroleum industry: exploration, oil and gas production, refining and marketing, 
trading and power generation. The Group is also a major player in chemicals. 
Total has more than 111,000 employees worldwide. More information can be found 
on the company's website: www.total.com

                              

1 Spain's Iberdrola is a leading European electrical utility and one of the 
  world's leading producers of renewables-based power.

2 Sociedad para el Desarrollo de Cantabria: Cantabria Regional Development 
  Agency.

3 Institute para la Diversificacion y el Ahorro Energetico: Spanish Institute 
  for Energy Diversification and Conservation.



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