TotalEnergies and Veolia have entered into a memorandum of understanding to expand their cooperation in areas related to the energy transition and circular economy. The agreement aims to help both companies reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water usage, while also supporting broader industry efforts through innovative processes and research.
The partnership will combine Veolia’s experience in water management and waste resource recovery with TotalEnergies’ capabilities in methane emission measurement, reduction, and low-carbon energy production.
One area of focus is reducing methane emissions from landfills. Veolia plans to use TotalEnergies’ drone-based technology for measuring methane at its landfill sites. Initial tests have shown that this technology can reliably detect leaks and identify high-emission areas. This supports Veolia’s goal of capturing 80% of landfill methane by 2032, expanding the use of such technology beyond the oil and gas sector.
In terms of water management, Veolia will assist TotalEnergies in its effort to decrease freshwater withdrawals by 20% by 2030 at sites located in regions with water stress, compared to levels recorded in 2021. The companies will work together on projects involving wastewater reuse at TotalEnergies locations, including using municipal wastewater for industrial purposes and implementing advanced water treatment technologies.
The collaboration also extends to making desalination more sustainable by incorporating low-carbon energy solutions at plants operated or built by Veolia. Previously, the two companies worked together on constructing a large solar power facility for seawater desalination. This aligns with Veolia’s plan to double its desalination capacity by 2030 while continuing to lower the process’s energy requirements.
Additionally, both firms intend to advance research into recovering valuable chemical elements from waste—such as rare earths used in wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries—that are currently underutilized.
Estelle Brachlianoff, Chief Executive Officer of Veolia, said: “I am very pleased with the agreement signed today with TotalEnergies: by combining our expertise, whether in sustainable water management, the circular economy or the reduction of methane emissions, we are putting our innovation capabilities at the service of the ecological transformation and the competitiveness of our industries.”
Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies stated: “We are delighted with this partnership with Veolia. TotalEnergies has cutting-edge solutions and technologies to offer Veolia and vice versa. Together, we can make a concrete contribution to the energy transition and the circular economy. We are convinced that cooperations like those we are developing with Veolia are very useful to make tangible progress and sustainably limit the environmental footprint of our companies”.
Veolia operates across five continents with over 215,000 employees focusing on solutions for water, waste, and energy management. In 2024 it provided drinking water services for 111 million people globally.
TotalEnergies is an integrated global energy company active in around 120 countries. Its workforce exceeds 100,000 employees who provide various forms of energy including oil products as well as renewables.
