2024 is a celebratory year for TotalEnergies. The multi-energy company marks its centenary, while the site in Antwerp celebrates its 75th anniversary — the same milestone as KH Engineering. Together with Pedro da Silva, Technical Director at the Antwerp Platform, we reflect on our collaboration and look briefly ahead.
TotalEnergies produces and supplies energy, ranging from oil and biofuels to natural gas, green gas, renewable energy, and electricity. The Antwerp site unites three locations, making it the largest integrated platform of TotalEnergies in Europe. The focus here is on producing high-value-added products that meet the strictest environmental standards.
Always a pioneer
TotalEnergies aims to produce energy that is increasingly affordable, cleaner, more reliable, and more accessible. This pioneering spirit has always been inherent to the company. Pedro: ‘TotalEnergies has always been a frontrunner. This holds true on the technical front, for instance, in deep-sea drilling, but also in renewable energy. That level of innovation, that daring, is also reflected in our Antwerp platform. Since 2013, three sites (TERA, TEOA, and TEPA) have collectively represented the journey from petroleum to plastics.’
Challenges over the years
With a history spanning 100 years, TotalEnergies has undoubtedly faced numerous challenges. ‘Safety has always been our top priority and thus our greatest challenge, both in project execution and the end result’, says Pedro.
‘But in today’s context, energy and climate are also significant challenges. Reducing our CO2 footprint, cutting our nitrogen emissions, these are all crucial issues to address. Continuity is also key: when adapting existing installations, it is vital that everything happens within the correct timings and that we minimise the downtime.’
Two companies, one team
To remain a pioneer and tackle modern challenges, the Antwerp Platform of TotalEnergies has found a suitable partner in KH Engineering. ‘We have literally been working with KH Engineering from the very beginning, and at various levels. We may be two separate companies, but we work together as one team, and that is extremely valuable. It gives me peace of mind knowing our projects are in good hands with them’, Pedro says.
‘The best part of our collaboration is that KH Engineering thinks along with us. They propose solutions and thus contribute to the efficiency of our projects. They have a strong overall performance. The First Time Right principle is a key KPI for us, and we can always count on KH Engineering in that regard.’
Sustainability in all aspects
Looking to the future, sustainability will only become more prominent. For TotalEnergies, this is a broad concept encompassing various aspects, to which KH Engineering also adds value.
Pedro: ‘For us, sustainability means not only environmental awareness but also the availability of our installations, safety, and quality. In this area, KH Engineering is a good match because they combine all these points within our energy and CO2 reduction projects. Together, we work on further optimising the safety of our LPG platforms and reusing the gas emitted by our flare installations.’
A partnership that only gets better
Finally, Pedro discusses the constant evaluation and evolution of the partnership. ‘The fact that we have been partners for a long time does not mean we do not evaluate our collaboration. Several times a year, we visit KH Engineering to discuss project progress, what can be improved, and how we can further optimise our collaboration.’
In any case, he foresees a long future with KH Engineering. ‘The KH Engineering team knows our Antwerp site as well as we do, which works extremely efficiently. That is another reason why we are keen to continue our collaboration — and why it will only improve in the future.’
For more information about TotalEnergies: https://totalenergies.com/