Total could invest in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant project led by EDF in Dunkirk to offset possible job losses if the refiner decides next week to close a refinery in the same town, an industry source said.
Oil giant Total is considering permanently shutting its 137,000 barrels-per-day Dunkirk refinery in northern France, or a 13 percent share of the group's French output capacity, which could result in some 600 job losses, a source close to the situation said earlier this month.
Total is expected to make the announcement on the possible closure after an extraordinary meeting with unions on Feb. 1.
The French government has pressured Total to find an alternative industrial project to compensate for the possible job losses, three months before key regional elections.
EDF, which is planning to make a final investment decision on the Dunkirk LNG plant in the next six months, said at the end of 2009 that it was looking for financial partners for half of the 700-million euro investment.
The plant is expected to start running in 2014 and produce some 13 BCM of gas.
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