French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies said on Friday it was completing the sale of its stake in a Russian jet fuel company.
The comment followed the publication on Thursday of an article in the French newspaper Le Monde which reported that “the French oil and gas giant and its local partner Novatek operate a gas field whose product, once transformed into kerosene, used to fuel Russian fighter jets engaged in the Ukraine war Terneftegaz, the company that runs the field, is 49% owned by TotalEnergies and 51% by Novatek.
In response to Le Monde’s report, TotalEnergies issued a statement on Friday saying that while Terneftegaz produces jet fuel at its Purovsky plant in western Siberia, it is not certified to sell to Russia.
“All of the stable condensate produced at the Purovsky plant from raw material from NOVATEK subsidiaries and affiliates, including Terneftegas, is delivered to the UstLuga processing complex in the Leningrad region. The range of products derived during processing at the UstLuga Complex includes jet fuel (Jet A1) which is exclusively exported outside of Russia, and which is not even certified for sale within the country,” he said TotalEnergies.
The company said the media reports and calls to investigate its activities and the activities of its joint ventures have “absolutely no basis”.
The company then concluded that “no, TotalEnergies does not produce fuel for the Russian military.”
Following this statement, TotalEnergies also sold “its 49% stake in the Russian gas field Termokarstovoye to Novatek” and that it “continues to implement its principles of conduct”.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on TotalEnergies to leave Russia on Friday.
Kuleba said via Twitter that his country is “grateful to (French President) @EmmanuelMacron and the French people for supporting Ukraine”, but “in this context, it is a shame for France when French companies witness the killing of Ukrainians and the destruction of our cities. @TotalEnergies, get out of Russia!”
Earlier this year, TotalEnergies also said it would stop buying Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022 at the latest.
The company, however, said it will continue to buy natural gas from Russia.
“Unlike oil supplies, Europe’s gas logistics capabilities appear to make it difficult to dispense with Russian gas in the next two to three years without affecting the continent’s energy supply,” TotalEnergies said in a statement. .
The company said it will mobilize oil products from elsewhere, particularly diesel produced by the SATORP refinery in Saudi Arabia.
According to the statement, TotalEnergies contracts for Russian oil accounted for 12% of Russia’s diesel exports to the European Union in 2021.
The company reiterated that it does not operate any oil or gas fields or liquefied natural gas plants in Russia and that it is moving towards a phased suspension of its activities in Russia, according to the statement.