Elf Exploratn Drilling Report

Total Fina Elf.
30 March 2000

USA:  Confirmation of Potential for Deep Offshore Aconcagua Discovery in
      Gulf of Mexico

TotalFinaElf through Elf Exploration Inc., the US oil and gas subsidiary of Elf
Aquitaine, announces that the Aconcagua appraisal well is successful, confirming
the deep offshore discovery made on Mississippi Canyon 305 in January 1999, in
the Gulf of Mexico.

Elf Exploration Inc. is the operator (50%) OF Mississippi Canyon 305 with
Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc. (25%) and Mariner Energy, Inc. (25%) as
partners.

The well was drilled in about 7,000 feet of water to a total-measured depth of
14,113 feet and encountered over 250 net feet of gas pay.  The well confirms
that the reservoirs found in the discovery well extend approximately 2 miles to
the northeast.

Aconcagua is one of several deepwater natural gas fields to be included in the
recently announced Canyon Express joint subsea development project.  It is
anticipated that production will flow to the Elf-operated Virgo platform in
Viosca Knoll 823 with start-up planned for late 2001.

This new success confirms the Upstream strategy of TotalFinaElf in the US, which
is focused mainly on exploring deep offshore basins in the Gulf of Mexico. 
TotalFinaElf is present on more than 180 blocks in this region, where several
discoveries have already been made.  Along with the Gulf of Guinea in West
Africa, it is considered one of the most promising basins.

TotalFinaElf (NYSE:TOT), the world's fourth largest oil and gas company, is the
result of the combination of TotalFina and Elf Aquitaine.  The new group holds
approximately 95% of the share capital of Elf Aquitaine (NYSE:ELF).

Contact:  Isabelle Gaildraud - Catherine Enck - Eve Gautier-Roux - Fabien Ghez
           - Thomas Saunders
          Tel:  [phone] - Fax:  [phone]