But Pouyanne said that, despite anger from some at OPEC's "game of chicken," the U.S. was still a major oil importer and its economy was benefitting from a lower oil price  "Maybe the U.S. independent producers are not happy; the U.S. investors in oil and gas are not happy. But globally speaking, for the U.S. economy…(the lower oil price) is good news," he said.  His comments come after Total reported a $6.5 billion writedown in the fourth quarter, mainly on its North American oil sands and shale assets, on Thursday. The oil major also announced cost-cutting measures to counteract the sharp decline in oil prices and said it would reduce investment by 10 percent from 2014's $26.4 billion.  Read MoreCrude oil production: The looming threat to American oil output  But Pouyanne was adamant that Total could "easily" withstand the lower oil price, despite its cost-cutting move.  "When you generate $25 billion of cashflow at $100 a barrel and eventually invest all of that -- even before giving a dividend to your shareholders -- that means we are at a very high level…we have a strong balance sheet we can face the situation for 1, 2, 3 years," he said. "I'm not worried about (it), let me be clear."  Pouyanne's appointment as CEO comes after the former Total head, Christophe de Margerie, was killed when his private jet collided with a snow plough in October. De Margerie was one of the most recognizable of the world's top oil executives and was a hard act to follow, Pouyanne said.  "Christophe was a unique personality. I worked for him for 12 years -- he was visionary on many items, he has a real charisma," he said, adding that it would be a "big mistake" to try to imitate de Margerie.  The CNBC Conversation with Patrick Pouyanne is broadcast Friday at 23:00 CET.
The CEO of major oil giant Total told CNBC he was not convinced U.S. energy independence would happen any time soon.