Total and Saudi Aramco will therefore invest 9

In eight days, the fate of the Dunkirk refinery will be sealed. On this occasion, Total leaders should officially announce the decision of the operations of refining of the site at a central Committee. This decision will be iconic. The last French refinery closure dates back mid-1980s with the judgment of Frontignan sites in Hérault and Pauillac in Aquitaine. Thirty years ago, the France consisted of 22 sites of refining. With the closure of Dunkirk, this figure will drop to 11. According to the Professional Union of oil (Ufip), the hexagon refinery industries collectively lost 150 million euros per month since March 2009. Refined volumes have fallen more than 13 to 72 million tonnes to about 98 million tons production capacity.

For most professionals, this situation was predictable long because it is the result of a structural evolution of the French energy landscape. The paradox of the thing is that the State was probably a share of responsibility. Industry Minister Christian Estrosi multiply voluntarist statements on the maintenance of a tool for refining in France, the closure of Dunkirk also comes policies implemented by Governments for thirty years.

For years, the public authorities with reason, sought to reduce the dependence of the country's oil. To do this, they launched the construction of nuclear reactors in the 1970-1980s. The rise of this program significantly reduced demand for heavy fuel oil. It forced the French to redirect their production and refineries to invest in units of "cracking" to transform the heavy fuel oil into gasoline. At the same time, fiscal policy of the Government has gradually transformed fleet, boosting purchases of diesel fuel over gasoline. Today, the France consumes four times more diesel than super. This structural change has weakened French refineries because they made more and more dependent on their exports of gasoline in the United States.

The fight against climate change marked a new stage in the process. The advent of a CO2 quota system increased refinery operating costs while implementing a biofuels plan mechanically reduced the demand for petroleum products. Composed of 10 ethanol and 90 gasoline unleaded, premium E10 is emblematic of the phenomenon. Tomorrow, the establishment of a carbon tax will accentuate this trend. Precisely because this tax seeks to reveal the true price of gas emissions greenhouse and to change attitudes.

Of course, the refining situation result not only of public policy. With the crisis, the demand for petroleum products decreased in the world while crude oil prices remained high with OPEC quotas and Chinese demand. Supported tenaille, European refiners have seen their margins collapse while the US market closed to imports of gasoline.

Tankers also have a responsibility. To paste to the evolution of the application, they have multiplied projects in Asia and the Middle East. Total and Saudi Aramco will therefore invest $ 9.6 billion in the construction of a refinery with a capacity of 400,000 barrels per day at Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Larger and more efficient, these refineries will inevitably compete in part with their European counterparts. "last but not least", the French attitudes have changed. The environment is for them the first reason for less drive by car. For lower gasoline prices, 80 of them say that they will not conduct change according to the FIFG.

In this context, the future of French refining is obviously questions. Since a few days, this issue has even become a national concern. The social conflict in Total has created a risk of shortage which forced the Government to take the record. Unions gained the holding of a round table on this subject on 15 April.

Obviously, the Government risks would find its contradictions at that meeting. How to ensure the fate of the 11 remaining in the country refineries while sought to reduce the oil bill and accelerate the transition to for energy In itself, the relevance of the objectives of the Grenelle of the environment is not questionable. Must be able to accompany this process or at least accept the consequences in terms of jobs. Make by globalization but advanced in the field of the environment, the France penalty to replace its old polluting industries by straight segments. In recent years, the country has lost the battle of the software, mobile phone or consumer electronics. And for the moment, he did not build large industrial champions of solar or wind energy.