Statement re Investment

Total S.A.
19 February 2004

      Total to Invest €500 million to Increase the conversion capacity 
                         at Its Normandy refinery

Paris, February 19, 2004 - Total has decided to build a distillate hydrocracker
(DHC) with a capacity of 2.4 million metric tons a year and a steam methane
reformer (SMR) at its Normandy refinery near Le Havre. The total investment of
these two units is around €500 million.

The hydrocracker will convert heavy fractions of petroleum into very low sulfur
distillates,  such as automotive diesel and kerosene for growing European
markets. The new hydrocracker will also enable the Normandy refinery to
significantly reduce its output of heavy fuel oil. It will also produce high-
quality bases for lubricants and specialty fluids.

Total has used the best available technologies for the design of the new units
to minimize the impact on the environment.

Up to 1,000 people will be involved onsite during the construction phase, with
start-up of the units scheduled for mid-2006. 

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
through its chemicals branch, Atofina. Total has 121,500 employees worldwide.
More information can be found on the company's website: www.total.com



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