November 13th, 2006:

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Shell’s Sakhalin-2 “consciously ignored” environmental damage at the $22 billion oil and gas project, the Natural Resources Ministry said Monday.

Countermeasures now proposed by project operator Sakhalin Energy do not measure up to the scale of the damage, the ministry said in a statement Monday. (Bloomberg)

Audit Disputes Shell Costs

Zarubezhneft has audited the cost estimate of the Shell-led Sakhalin-2 project and found it to be $2.5 billion too high, Vedomosti reported Monday. read more

17:18 | 13/ 11/ 2006 

MOSCOW, November 13 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Natural Resources Ministry said Monday it is dissatisfied with the environmental measures taken so far by the operator of the Sakhalin II oil and gas project in Russia’s Far East.

The multibillion-dollar project has been accused of inflicting large-scale ecological damage on Sakhalin Island, including illegal deforestation, the dumping of toxic waste and soil erosion.

A probe launched into the activities of the project’s operator, Sakhalin Energy, uncovered numerous violations of conditions set out in the feasibility study for Sakhalin II, including the illegal routing of an oil pipeline through the territory of a national conservation area and environmental damage in the island’s Aniva Bay. read more

13 November 2006

The Associated Press

A top Russian environmental official said Monday that proposals by a Shell-led energy consortium to resolve violations at its giant liquefied natural gas project in the Far East were insufficient, in the latest official criticism of the development.

Russia’s Natural Resources Ministry has accused the consortium of silting rivers and illegal logging in the course of its pipelaying work on the Pacific island of Sakhalin.

But observers suggest that the pressure is aimed at reconfiguring to the Kremlin’s benefit the terms of the deal under which Royal Dutch Shell PLC acquired the rights to develop the huge fields, as well as securing favorable terms for gas monopoly OAO Gazprom to enter the project. read more

MOSCOW, Nov 13 (Reuters) – Russian state oil firm Zarubezhneft has audited the cost estimate of the Royal Dutch Shell-led Sakhalin-2 project and found it to be $2.5 billion too high, Vedomosti newspaper reported on Monday.

The Russian government has disputed the Shell figures since the Dutch-British firm doubled its estimate for the second phase of the project from $10 billion to $20 billion.

That would put the total cost of the venture, which involves building the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas plant on the Pacific island of Sakhalin, at $22 billion. read more

MOSCOW. Nov 13 (Interfax) – The Natural Resources Ministry does not find the measures proposed by Sakhalin-2 operator Sakhalin Energy to compensate for damage to the environment on the island of Sakhalin satisfactory.

“The measures proposed by Sakhalin Energy to compensate for damage caused to the environment do not take into account the scale of the damage,” the ministry said in a press release.

The press release indicates just one measure proposed by the company to restore the forest: “collection of cones, conservation and storage of conifer cones.” read more

TNK-BP, the oil and gas firm 50 per cent owned by BP, says it has settled a back-tax bill owed to the Russia authorities – reported to be worth $1.4 billion (£752 million).

The payment comes amid increasing pressure from the Kremlin over projects part-operated by foreign investors. TNK-BP’s Rospan division has been threatened with prosecution, as have the operators of the Sakhalin-2 project – led by UK-Dutch oil giant Shell.

The bill is thought to be the second-largest ever paid by a Russian firm. read more

EXTRACT: The wildlife charity, WWF, says that the export credit guarantee department is spending £2bn (€3bn) a year of public money mainly to support the supply of aircraft and for hydrocarbon projects such as the controversial Sakhalin-2 scheme in eastern Russia. “It is clear that the ECGD is in direct contradiction of the UK government position on climate change,” James Leaton, WWF oil policy officer, said last night.

THE ARTICLE

· Key energy report ‘ineffectual’ say experts
· Brussels court threat over greener public buildings read more

By JUSTIN LAHART     
November 13, 2006; Page C1

Ever since oil prices started falling from their peak levels this summer, investor interest in the idea of peak oil has declined as well.

But peak oil isn’t about the economics of oil but the geology of it. “Price is a very murky window with which to figure out what’s happening with oil supply,” says Ken Deffeyes, a retired Princeton geology professor and leading peak-oil proponent.
 
Peak-oil theory says that when half of the world’s oil has been pumped out of the ground, oil production is at its peak. A steady ratcheting up of oil prices ensues as demand outpaces supply. When that happens won’t be known for sure until years after the fact. Meantime, demand for oil is running so close to supply, plenty of other things can make for sharp price movements, says Mr. Deffeyes. read more

November 13, 2006
 
Royal Dutch Shell has signed a partnership with a Dubai-based company to help industrialised nations to cut the emission of harmful greenhouse gases.

The deal with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company is part of the Middle Eastern oil state’s ambition to position itself at the forefront of the development of clean energy technologies. It will launch a $250 million (£131 million) investment fund in London this week, which will take stakes in firms focused on developing such technologies. read more

Melbourne/Dallas (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) – Intranet DASHBOARD congratulates Shell for winning Best Intranet Design, and Lloyds TSB for winning Best Intranet Content, at the 2006 International Benchmarking Forum Intranet of the Year Awards in London. Intranet DASHBOARD is an out-of-the-box intranet management solution used by Shell Online and Lloyds TSB to create their intranet.

Based on the IBFs ongoing work to evaluate members intranets, the top 10 intranets were short listed in each of the award categories. These intranets were then put in front of a panel of judges made up of IBF members and IBF staff. read more

Monday, November 13, 2006

Mike Lumley, a Marketing Executive for Shell Aviation – who supplies jet fuel to 1,100 airports in more than 90 countries – warns that recent jet fuel price reductions will be overshadowed by future price hikes.

The executive spoke at Outlook 2007 last week and explained that, among other factors, supply constraints will pressure an upward movement in price. When this will happen is less certain as price movements are generally difficult to forecast.

“It’s too early to call it the beginning of the end,” Mr. Lumley said. read more

November 13, 2006
By Miranda McLachlan
 
A dispute over the “Power” trademark has dragged the oil giants BP, Shell and Total into a High Court battle.

BP, in conjunction with Total, has launched legal action against Shell over Shell’s decision to name its premium oil brand V-Power.
 
BP alleges that it has ownership of the Power logo, which it licenses to Total, for use in signage at its 126 service stations.

BP initiated the action after Shell replaced its Optimax premium oil with V-Power. The two parties have been negotiating for 15 months over the trademark without success. read more

By The Associated Press

PINEDALE – Despite objections from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the federal Bureau of Land Management so far has granted all requests for exceptions allowing more natural gas development on federal lands around Pinedale this winter.

According to a table published on the BLM’s Web site, 13 requests have been granted by the agency for winter drilling activity, with nine requests outstanding.

In one request, Ultra Resources has asked to drill a deep well through May in crucial winter range for antelope. BLM officials have said they intend to grant that request. read more

(Marina Lystseva / Itar-Tass
Oleg Mitvol walking barefoot during an inspection of Sakhalin-2 in late September.)

Monday, November 13, 2006. Issue 3538. Page 7.
By Dmitry Zhdannikov
Reuters  

The government may sue the Shell-led Sakhalin-2 group in international courts to claim billions of dollars in damages or even scrap the $22 billion production sharing deal, an official said Friday.

Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of the Federal Service for the Inspection of Natural Resources , said his agency had received a plan from Sakhalin-2 on how the company intended to rectify ecological damage but considered it “not serious.” read more