By Pratap John/Chief Business Reporter

Total is working with Qatar Petroleum to “find innovative and cost-efficient solutions to optimise production and oil recovery and ensure that the Al Khalij field is resilient to low crude price environment,” said its chief executive officer Patrick Pouyanné.
In February 2014, Total and Qatar Petroleum had set up a new joint venture to further develop the Al Khalij oilfield over the next 25 years.
“Operationally speaking, the results of the Al Khalij field are good. Production has been maintained over the last three years, which is a performance for a field of that complexity and maturity,” Pouyanné said in an interview with Gulf Times.
Asked about reports that Total was looking to work in Iran, the global CEO said, “We will see. We had a long history in Iran, but not as long as in Qatar. First, the sanctions need to be lifted … and they haven’t to this day. Then we will look carefully if opportunities are of interest, in particular from a contractual and economical point of view.”
On Total’s relationship with QP and other international oil companies (IOCs) in the country, Pouyanné said, “We have a very good working relationship with QP at all levels because we share the same values and goals, safety, operating excellence and cost efficiency among others. We are partners in Qatar in the Al Khalij field, in Qatargas I and II, and in the refining and petrochemicals business. More recently, we have also decided to partner abroad. “This is an opportunity for QP to have access to different types of operations, and for us to share our knowledge. Qatar Petroleum holds a 15% share in Total Congo. We look forward to extending this international co-operation to other countries. Total also entertains good relationships with other IOCs in Qatar, but obviously in a different manner: we are competitors and partners.”
Total has been present in Qatar since 1936, he pointed out.
“Next year, we will celebrate the 80thanniversary of our uninterrupted presence in the country, which is unrivalled in the industry. We are present in Qatar throughout the oil and gas value chain from upstream to downstream, which is also unique.
“Qatar is of upmost importance for the group. We are very proud of the long lasting partnership we have established with our stakeholders here, notably Qatar Petroleum. We would like to build on this long term relationship and we look forward to seizing any new opportunity in the oil and gas sector as well as in petrochemicals or renewable energies,” said Pouyanné, who headed Total’s Qatar operations for more than three years, some 15 years ago.
He said Total intended to “remain a player all over the value chain”.
“The fact that we are active worldwide all over the value chain has been a great asset in the current context of lower oil prices. While our exploration and production branch was experiencing difficulties and adjusting to this new situation, we have been able to capture value thanks to our refining and chemicals business, and thanks to our distribution business,” Pouyanné said.
Asked whether the current economic situation would result in staff redundancy in Total’s global and Qatar operations, Pouyanné said, “At Total, we have had a slightly different approach from that of most of our peers. If you make many people redundant when you are going through a rough patch, you basically lose people that you have invested in. In 2015, we implemented a hiring freeze across the company, but we have not used redundancies. But we are also checking if our organisations in Qatar, like everywhere, are as efficient as they should be, and this could lead to some organisational adjustments in 2016.”