The Nigerian Upstream Companies of Total (Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited (EPNL), Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, TUPNI), are focussing on their Agenda Beyond the Business Domain at this year's Offshore West Africa (OWA) Conference holding in Abuja from 21st -23rd March, 2005.

The companies' efforts in Nigeria have always been anchored on the tripod of Business, Health Safety and Environment, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Total's CSR profile now focuses on long-term and partnership actions that refuses to replace governments but instead supports governments' vision and actions.

A key component of this emphasis in its CSR actions is to act principally through negotiated MOUs with the various communities such that they are now partners and architects in their own sustainable development projects and processes. Recent projects that have emanated from this new strategy include:

• The Egi Power Plant in OML 58 where two gas-driven turbines have started test-delivery from 2 x 6.5 MW power plant, built, fed and run by EPNL with electric power supplied to communities. The official commissioning will take place later this year;



• The facilitation of Mobile telephony in the Egi area, which action has created many enterprises in the area and has linked them up to the wider world,



• The institution of Micro-Credit loans to community entrepreneurs,



• The provision of Scholarships , the facilitation of the establishment of the Institute of Petroleum Studies in Port Harcourt, Skills Acquisition training (with post-training start-up funding and equipment supply).

Commenting on the new thrust, the Managing Director, Mr Jacques Marraud des Grottes said "Beyond projects, our Corporate Social Responsibility aims at promoting a new mind-set among our staff, communities and other stakeholders by promoting Sustainable Development and Nigerian Content thinking built into business purpose and strategy right through the project development phases. This translates into the integration of Sustainable Development and Nigerian Content parameters as far upstream as possible in the decision-making process, requiring clear procedures that are recognised and accepted throughout the Total group.

The early successes of this new mind-set include the construction of the Amenam field jackets, platform interconnection bridge and buoy in Nigeria. This feat was followed by our recent construction of even more sophisticated Amenam phase 2 tripod and jackets in Nigeria, which will be commissioned this year".

EPNL has had impressive business success that saw its production capacity double last year with the start-up of production from the Amenam-Kpono Field.

Its safety performance has also improved tremendously beyond its targets.