TotalEnergies and Veolia have signed a memorandum of understanding to expand cooperation in energy transition and the circular economy, aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce water usage across industries.
The long-standing partners plan to combine their expertise to accelerate sustainable industrial practices. Veolia will contribute its strength in water resource management and waste recovery, while TotalEnergies will focus on reducing methane emissions and supplying low-carbon energy.
The collaboration aims to scale up innovative technologies and support research addressing key environmental challenges central to the energy transition.
Tackling Methane Emissions at Landfills
Veolia is testing TotalEnergies’ AUSEA drone technology to measure methane emissions at its landfill sites. Early trials have shown that the system can accurately detect leaks and identify high-emission zones.
The initiative supports Veolia’s goal to capture 80 percent of methane emissions from landfills by 2032. The company also plans to use the technology beyond oil and gas applications to enhance its emissions reduction strategy, an important step in the energy transition.
Cutting Water Use in Industrial Operations
Veolia will help TotalEnergies reduce its freshwater withdrawals by 20 percent by 2030 compared with 2021 levels at sites in water-stressed regions. The companies will collaborate to develop wastewater reuse projects, including the use of treated municipal water for industrial purposes.
Veolia will also deploy advanced water treatment technologies to improve discharge quality and overall water efficiency.
Powering Desalination with Clean Energy
TotalEnergies will assist Veolia in scaling up low-carbon energy use at its desalination facilities. The companies previously built a central solar-powered desalination plant in Oman, which serves as a model for future projects.
Veolia plans to double its desalination capacity by 2030, while continuing to reduce the energy footprint of the process, which now consumes 90 percent less energy than it did previously.
The partnership also includes joint research on recovering valuable chemical elements such as rare earths from industrial waste. These materials are vital for producing wind turbines, solar panels and batteries but are often underutilized in recycling processes.
Veolia Chief Executive Estelle Brachlianoff said the partnership leverages the firms’ complementary expertise to “serve ecological transformation and industrial competitiveness.”
TotalEnergies Chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné stated that the collaboration “makes a concrete contribution to the energy transition and circular economy,” adding that such partnerships are crucial to reducing environmental impact.
Veolia, TotalEnergies Join Forces to Accelerate Global Energy Transition
