TotalEnergies has signed a ten-year clean power agreement with paper manufacturer SWM, committing to deliver 800 gigawatt-hours of firm renewable electricity beginning in 2026. The contract will supply three SWM production sites in France and represents a notable example of energy-intensive industry securing long-term renewable power to manage costs while advancing decarbonisation.

The agreement covers SWM facilities at Papeteries de Saint Girons, PDM Industries, and LTR Industries. Power will be provided through a constant supply profile sourced from approximately 50 megawatts of TotalEnergies’ operating renewable assets in France, structured to meet the uninterrupted demand requirements of paper manufacturing.

Firm Renewables for Industrial Reliability

For European manufacturers, clean firm power has become a critical procurement tool. Unlike variable renewable supply alone, firmed contracts combine renewable generation with flexible assets to reduce exposure to intermittency and balancing risk. TotalEnergies said the structure of the SWM agreement reflects its integrated portfolio approach, which blends renewables with dispatchable capacity to ensure reliability as electricity markets absorb higher shares of variable generation.

Sophie Chevalier, Senior Vice President Flexible Power and Integration at TotalEnergies, said the contract demonstrates the company’s ability to tailor solutions to industrial customers that require both decarbonisation and operational continuity. She noted that integrated production portfolios are increasingly central to helping manufacturers navigate tighter climate rules and more volatile power markets.

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Cost Predictability Meets Decarbonisation Goals

For SWM, the contract secures around 50 percent of its total electricity demand in France for the next decade. The company described the agreement as both a climate and financial strategy, particularly important for an energy-intensive sector facing rising power costs and carbon constraints.

Giuliano Scilio, Vice President and Chief Information Officer at SWM, said the deal represents a decisive step toward the company’s commitment to significantly reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2033. Beyond emissions reduction, he emphasised the importance of long-term cost predictability in maintaining competitiveness and enabling SWM to offer lower-carbon products to customers increasingly focused on sustainability performance.

Policy Pressure and Market Signals

The agreement comes as France and the European Union intensify efforts to decarbonise industrial supply chains. Initiatives under the Fit for 55 package, combined with evolving state aid rules and the gradual rollout of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, are pushing manufacturers to electrify operations and secure low-carbon power sources.

In this context, long-term corporate power purchase agreements are moving from optional sustainability instruments to core components of industrial risk management. They also support compliance with expanding sustainability disclosure requirements and growing Scope 3 transparency demands from multinational buyers.

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Strategic Implications for Investors and Executives

From an investor perspective, the SWM contract reinforces a structural shift in energy procurement. Renewable power is no longer primarily about reputational positioning. For energy-intensive companies, firm clean power is becoming a balance-sheet decision, offering protection against price volatility while reducing exposure to carbon costs.

For corporate leaders, arrangements like this provide multiple advantages. They stabilise input costs, strengthen low-carbon product claims, and reduce regulatory and compliance risk in markets where emissions are increasingly priced into procurement decisions.

A Signal Beyond France

Although the agreement is national in scope, it reflects a broader global trend. Across Europe, North America, and parts of Asia, industrial buyers are locking in long-duration renewable contracts as electrification accelerates and climate policy tightens. As these contracts grow in scale and sophistication, they are likely to influence capital allocation, industrial strategy, and emissions disclosure standards well beyond individual markets.

The TotalEnergies-SWM deal illustrates how firm renewable power is becoming foundational to industrial competitiveness in a decarbonising economy, linking energy strategy directly to long-term operational and financial resilience.

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