How TotalEnergies is balancing oil, renewables and scrutiny in Africa
By Ethical Business Team
TotalEnergies SE has in recent years stepped up its investment in renewable energy across Africa as part of what it calls a multi‑energy strategy. In July 2024 the company agreed to acquire SN Power’s portfolio of hydropower projects, including a 28.3 per cent stake in the 250 megawatt Bujagali plant in Uganda, which supplies more than a quarter of peak demand in that country’s grid. The deal also covers minority interests in hydropower developments in Rwanda (206 MW) and Malawi (360 MW). Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies, said the transaction “reflects our desire to contribute to the continent’s energy transition by bringing electricity to the people of African countries.”
TotalEnergies has set global targets to build 35 gigawatts (GW) of renewable capacity by the end of 2025 and to deliver more than 100 terawatt‑hours of electricity per year by 2030, a portfolio mix that includes solar, wind and hydropower. Through the new hydropower interests, the company has anchored that strategy in a region where reliable electricity access remains limited; according to the International Energy Agency, only about half of people in sub‑Saharan Africa had access to electricity as of 2024. (IEA data)
Supporters of expanding renewables in Africa argue that low‑carbon power can address chronic undersupply and reduce dependence on costly fuel imports. TotalEnergies has echoed this view, describing its integrated power business as a way to “deliver clean firm power” that combines renewables with flexible generation to manage intermittency.
Oil legacy and the East African bitumen belt
Despite its renewable push, fossil fuels still dominate TotalEnergies’ African portfolio. The most visible example is the Lake Albert Development Project in Uganda, a partnership with the Uganda National Oil Company, Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation and China National Offshore Oil Corporation centred on upstream oilfields and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). The latter will stretch 1 443 kilometres from Hoima in Uganda to the port of Tanga in Tanzania, carrying crude for export.
At the project’s launch in February 2022, Mr Pouyanné said the development was “a major project for Uganda and Tanzania,” and that it aimed to integrate social and environmental considerations alongside economic benefits. Lake Albert’s oilfields are expected to produce hundreds of thousands of barrels per day at plateau once full operations begin, though exact timelines have shifted as construction proceeds and financing pressures mount. (Industry reporting)
TotalEnergies holds a majority stake in EACOP, underlining its central role in the venture. The project has struggled to attract conventional financing; civil society organisations report that most international commercial banks and insurers have opted not to back the pipeline, leaving developers to self‑finance much of the cost.
Investor and civil society scrutiny
TotalEnergies’ dual trajectory has invited scrutiny from investors focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. In May 2025, Union Investment, a large German asset manager, removed TotalEnergies from some of its sustainability‑branded funds and called for an independent human rights audit of projects in East Africa. Henrik Pontzen, Chief Sustainability Officer at Union Investment, described the decision as taking into account “our assessment of TotalEnergies’ approach to addressing serious controversies related to … EACOP.”
At the same time, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on environmental defenders, Michel Forst, urged the company to address alleged abuses related to the pipeline and upstream operations. He criticised the firm for having “failed to take effective steps addressing these abuses” and challenged its rejection of the allegations as mere misconceptions. TotalEnergies responded by stating it does not tolerate violence and that it works with authorities to ensure legal rights are upheld, describing its local security teams as monitoring detainees’ welfare.
In October 2025, a civil court in Paris ruled that the company had made misleading environmental claims in marketing its strategy, ordering TotalEnergies to remove statements about carbon neutrality and its role in the energy transition from its website. Justine Ripoll, Campaigns Manager at Notre Affaire à Tous, said the ruling “sends a clear message: climate disinformation is not an acceptable business strategy.”
Managing transition and local economics
TotalEnergies argues that both fossil and renewable investments are necessary in the current phase of the global energy transition. In company‑published Frequently Asked Questions on the Tilenga and EACOP projects, it states the pipeline and oil production respond to ongoing energy needs and seeks to maintain fossil fuel affordability during the transition to cleaner energy, while renewable investments grow.
The company also asserts that environmental and social impact assessments have been carried out and that compensation agreements with affected landowners — reportedly covering more than 99 per cent of cases along the pipeline route — have been executed in line with national regulations and international standards. Whether these measures meet local aspirations for equitable development remains contested, particularly in regions where displacement and changes to traditional livelihoods have been reported. (Independent reporting)
Development choices in a carbon‑constrained future
African governments see potentially transformative benefits from harnessing domestic resources — whether for electricity or export revenues. In Uganda, authorities have characterised oil development as strategic for national growth, asserting that revenue and job creation will accrue from the Lake Albert project and its downstream logistics. (Statements from national officials)
Yet climate scientists and policy advocates caution that expanding large fossil projects undercuts efforts to limit global warming, noting that existing and planned infrastructure already threatens commitments to keep temperature rises well below 2 °C. (IPCC assessments)
TotalEnergies’ African operations encapsulate this tension: its renewable acquisitions and renewable generation targets signal investment in a low‑carbon future, while its oil and gas projects highlight the enduring role of hydrocarbons in the region’s economic calculus. The company’s pursuit of both paths will test the coherence of its multi‑energy narrative and offer a litmus for how major energy firms balance legacy assets with new commitments in markets where development needs and climate imperatives intersect.
