New Technology

TOTAL FINA S.A.
3 November 1999


                    TOTALFINA Introduces New Technology

             in the UK North Sea with Installation and Start-up of

                  Multiphase Pumps on the Dunbar Platform

TOTALFINA  and  its partner Elf Aquitaine have started up the  multiphase  pumps
installed in July on the Dunbar platform located on the UK Continental Shelf 400
kilometers  north-east of Aberdeen. TOTALFINA is operator with a 33.3%  interest
and Elf Aquitaine holds the remaining 66.67%.

TOTAL launched the Poseidon project in 1984, in partnership with Institut
Francais du Petrole (IFP) and Statoil, to develop 'rotodynamic' multiphase pumps
based on a technology developed by IFP. The pumps are designed to increase
production by enabling simultaneous liquids pumping and gas compression of the
commingled wellhead effluents. This type of pump simplifies production
facilities by reducing the amount of equipment required in a conventional
arrangement. In light of the prototypes' promising performance, it was decided
to develop large capacity pump units.

This  technology was introduced for the first time today on the offshore  Dunbar
platform  of  the  UKCS  with  two electrically  driven  multiphase  pumps,  4.5
megawatts  each,  that will deliver a flow of 40,000 barrels of  liquids  and  3
million  cubic  meters  of gas per day. The pumps will accelerate  oil  and  gas
production from the Dunbar platform and increase economic reserves from the  oil
and gas reservoirs of Dunbar and its Ellon and Grant sub-sea satellites.

The  effluents  produced  from these fields will  be  transported  by  a  single
multiphase  pipeline to the Alwyn platform, located 22 kilometers to the north,
for treatment before transportation to the shore.

This  technological breakthrough is the culmination of 15 years of research
and  development. A world first, it creates new opportunities  for  the  Group's
Exploration  and Production sector, which intends to capitalize on this success
for  further  implementation onshore and offshore on platforms,  and  eventually
offshore sub-sea.

The  recoverable oil and gas reserves on the Alwyn area had initially  been
estimated  at  435 million barrels oil equivalent (boe) in 1986. Thanks  to  new
discoveries  and technological advances, the estimate was raised to 700  million
boe in 1994, when operations started on the Dunbar platform. Today, the estimate
stands at 1.2 billion boe.

As  a  result, operations on the Alwyn area will be extended several  years
beyond the estimate made in 1987, when the Alwyn field was brought on stream.

TOTALFINA  owns  94.93% of Elf Aquitaine as of October 28,  1999.  The  two
companies  are awaiting approval from the European Commission to finalize  their
merger. A decision is expected in mid February 2000.