RNS Number:3138S
Total S.A.
20 November 2003

 

          Nigeria: Total Signs a new Production Sharing Contract for Deep 
                          Offshore Concession in Nigeria

Paris, November 20, 2003 - Total announces that company's Nigerian operating
subsidiary, Elf Petroleum Nigeria Ltd (EPNL), has signed a Production Sharing
Contract with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for the Oil
Prospecting License (OPL) 221 located in southeast Nigeria.

The deep offshore concession lies in water depths of between 200 and 1,000
meters. OPL 221 is in a high potential area just west of the OPL 222 where EPNL,
as operator, has made significant commercial discoveries in the Ukot (1998) and
Usan (2002) fields. Both fields are currently being considered for development.

While NNPC is the concession holder, EPNL is operator of the permit with a 100%
stake. Exploration activities are planned to start immediately with the
implementation of a seismic survey programme.

Nigeria is the Africa's largest oil producer and will continue to be so as
deepwater discoveries come on stream. The signing of this contract is an
additional step that confirms Total's determined growth strategy in Nigeria, and
demonstrates its commitment to and confidence in the country's oil and gas
industry's development potential.

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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