Energy company Total may branch into electricity: CEO

HOUSTON, March 5 (Xinhua) -- French oil and gas company Total S.A. might branch out into other aspects of the energy business, including electricity in the future, chief executive Patrick Pouyanne said here on Monday.

Total will not provide electricity to consumers like a utility company does, but will find other methods to be involved in the electricity business, Pouyanne said during a dialogue at CERAWeek themed "Tipping Point: Strategies for a New Energy Future."

CERAWeek, kicked off Monday in the U.S. city of Houston, is an annual energy meeting held by the London-based information company IHS Markit featuring prominent speakers from energy, technology and financial sectors.

Pouyanne, who is also the company's chairman of the board of directors, said the transformation of the oil and gas industry means that Total might be known differently than it is today.

In terms of traditional energy, the company will focus more on gas than oil, he added.

Sharing his own experience of driving an electric car, Pouyanne said he saw success of the utilization of electric cars in the future in specific areas.

"I'm convinced that in big cities plenty of electric cars will be there in 15 years," he said.

Total, the world's fourth-largest oil and gas company, has nearly a century of history. Its businesses cover operations ranging from oil and gas exploration, production, marketing and distribution in more than 130 countries. Enditem