Total has been marketed in the UK since 1955 and was set up as Total Oil Great Britain Ltd (TOGB). Originally formed as part of the French Total SA group, it was quickly established as an innovative petrol retailer, rapidly increasing its number of service stations.
A large network of authorised distributors was developed and a lubricant plant at Ferrybridge, West Yorkshire was obtained. In 1965, TOGB and PetroFina oversaw the construction and operation of a new refinery on the south bank of the Humber near Killingholme, Lincolnshire. Today they have two refineries in the UK based at Milford Haven (South Wales) and Killingholme (Lincolnshire), as well as a lubricant blending plant at Ferrybridge (West Yorkshire) and a bitumen plant at Preston (Lancashire).
Total is the world's fourth-largest oil and gas group with more than 121,000 employees worldwide. There are over 900 service stations operating across the UK.
Total and the Environment
As an international energy company Total is concerned with major environmental issues. Their commitment is shown by their groundbreaking operating agreement with the Environment Agency. They are the first oil company to have signed this kind of agreement which ensures they achieve 'best practice' in environmental performance in the future.
Stringent environmental standards are met at Total's UK oil refinery which has been certified to ISO 14001. This accreditation has aslo been extended across the business.
The Total group has an extensive environmental policy where they aim to help reduce the economy's reliance on carbon by lessening greehouse gas emissions and encouraging energy conservation. By developing alternatives and by optimising the oil and gas resources we do have, they aim to make the energy system more secure and hope to prevent the impact of transportation growth by improving the quality of their fuel.
Total's Fuel Options
Total have launched Total Excellium, a new range of high-performance fuels, allowing up to 30 miles further per tank.
Included in the range are Total Excellium Unleaded 97 and Diesel.
Total Excellium fuels can reduce CO2 emissions by around 5%, and can cut Carbon Monoxide and black smoke pollutants by around 25% in cars 5 years or older.
Detergents in Total Excellium fuels clean sensitive parts of modern engines. This new fuel guarantees parts such as injectors and inlet valves are kept in top condition.
Total Excellium Diesel has a higher Cetane Index, which improves its combustion properties in starting, and this can reduce start up noise by around 37%.