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June, 2007:

Daily Telegraph: Database ENERGY: Royal Dutch Shell won’t return to the western delta region of Nigeria this year

Last Updated: 3:16am BST 29/06/2007

A round-up of headlines from across the financial sectors, provided by Bloomberg News

ENERGY

•Royal Dutch Shell won’t return to the western delta region of Nigeria this year because of militant violence.

• Shares of Renova Energy rose the most in eight weeks on optimism it will recover from an 84pc slump in annual profit as prices for ethanol rally.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/06/29/cxbloom129.xm

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Scoop.co.nz: Promotion seeks to save Kiwis millions

Friday, 29 June 2007, 2:42 pm
Press Release: Shell New Zealand 

Shell NZ Ecobulb promotion seeks to save Kiwis millions Shell New Zealand, Energy Mad, the Electricity Commission, Housing NZ Corporation and Trustpower today launched the Shell Ecobulb Promotion at participating Shell sites.

Targeting the sale and installation of one million Ecobulbs in New Zealand homes, this will be one of the largest energy efficiency projects undertaken in New Zealand.

The Shell Ecobulb Promotion, which commences on the 2nd of July, is aimed at encouraging households to replace the five most often used incandescent bulbs with energy saving Ecobulbs. The promotion will allow customers the opportunity to use barcoded vouchers to purchase five Ecobulbs for just $10 at participating Shell service stations. read more

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Times Online: Shell… a potential target for shareholder activism

EXTRACT: Miners and oil companies led the FTSE 100 index to only its second gain in eight sessions. Shell took on more than 2 per cent after Morgan Stanley said the group was hugely undervalued and a potential target for shareholder activism, while BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto climbed as UBS raised forecasts across the sector to reflect higher coal prices.

Headline: Kill the competition

June 29, 2007

Today’s round-up of national and international business news from The Times
Friday, June 29, 0730 BST read more

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The Times: Shell benefits as FTSE 100 stages welcome rebound

June 29, 2007
Large caps
Bryce Elder

Shareholder activism was the theme of the day as the FTSE 100 index registered its first serious rebound in eight sessions.

Shell was among the beneficiaries, climbing 52p to £20.60 after Morgan Stanley argued that the oil giant’s discount left it undervalued by about £60 billion. “There is a massive gap between the market value and the underlying value of the company,” it told clients. “There is a blue sky upside case of £32.10 per share.”

While the broker saw this anomaly persisting unless management take radical action, it was the valuation gap that left Shell looking vulnerable. It told clients: “Taking over an oil major might be a bite too far, but taking 10 per cent of the company and then applying relentless pressure on the board is another matter. There are plenty of groups that could invest enough to force change on a major oil company board.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Free research facility for Royal Dutch Shell Plc: worlds largest online library of news articles relating to Royal Dutch Shell

Wall Street Journal image of Alfred Donovan, co-owner of this website, is reproduced in accordance with our Fair Use Notice

(The Wall Street Journal image of Alfred Donovan, the co-owner of this website, is reproduced in accordance with our Fair Use Notice)

FREE ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC RESEARCH FACILITY

We have the worlds largest online library of news articles and leaked documents relating to the oil giant Royal Dutch Shell. They are all available FREE for educational and research purposes.

Over 15,000 are stored here and on our sister website: www.ShellNews.net

Over 8,000 can be searched on this website by using our “Live Search” or our optional Google search facility. read more

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Business Standard: M&M, Shell study hydrogen application

BS Reporter / Mumbai Friday June 29, 2007 
 
Automotive major, Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) and UK-based global energy major, Shell, have completed phase I of the joint pre-feasibility study on hydrogen-based transportation in the country, a release today said. 
 
The study is aimed to identify potential location for projects where automotive companies and energy providers will focus their initial efforts, supported by the government. 
 
The project would further explore local fuel supply options, fuel distribution and storage possibilities, automobile technology, safety, commercial viability, environmental benefits and public/private partnership.  read more

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Mission City Record: Adopt-A-Block gets $3,500 grant from Shell

Jun 28 2007

The Mission Adopt-A-Block Society recently received a $3,500 grant from the Shell Environmental Fund (SEF).

The grant will be used for the purchasing of equipment including pickers and vests for registered Adopt-A-Block (AAB) volunteers, as well as for promotional purposes.

The financial support of the Shell Environment Fund will allow the AAB to purchase new equipment and vests and spread the word that litter is everyone’s responsibility.

“On behalf of all our volunteers I would like to thank the Shell Environment Fund for its generous support of our efforts. Their commitment to local environment projects like ours makes such a difference for so many communities,” comments Cindy Kelly, Mission Adopt-A-Block president. read more

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Executive Intelligence Review: The BAE Systems Affair and The Anglo-Dutch Imperial Slime Mold

This article appears in the July 6, 2007 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

by John Hoefle

The weapons-for-oil deal between BAE Systems and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provides a useful window into the manner in which the Anglo-Dutch-centered international financial oligarchy operates. The oligarchy is essentially a private criminal enterprise which stretches across the globe, operating through a network of government agencies, private institutions, and both publicly owned and private corporations and financial institutions. Some of these relationships are out in the open, while others are hidden. read more

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Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Shell to sell area gas holdings

By JIM FUQUAY
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Posted on Thu, Jun. 28, 2007

Shell Exploration and Production Co., which less than two years ago became the first multinational energy firm to drill in the Barnett Shale, confirmed Wednesday that it plans to sell its area holdings, which are expected to attract active bidding.

Shell spokeswoman Kelly op de Weegh said the Houston-based company has drilled about 30 horizontal wells “and has seen success, but we have not acquired a critical mass of acreage to meet our own performance requirements.” She said Shell has approximately 50,000 net acres, including 28,000 acres where it owns the leases and operates wells in Parker County. read more

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CALGARY HERALD: Outfitter wants Albertans to be heard

RENATA D’ALIESIO
Thurday 28 June 2007

For southern Alberta outfitter Mike Judd, this story is about more than just one proposed sour gas well.

Shell Canada wants to drill the exploratory well near Mount Bacchus, southwest of Pincher Creek, in the Rockies’ Eastern Slopes.

Judd objects to the project and has a right to have his voice heard because he lives near the proposed site — land owned by the province.

But the 56-year-old dog sledder contends any Albertan should be legally allowed to tell Alberta’s energy regulator what he or she thinks. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Bloomberg: Gasunie’s in `Final Decision-Making’ Phase on Nord Stream Stake

By Marcel van de Hoef and Fred Pals

June 28 (Bloomberg) — Gasunie NV, operator of the Dutch gas-pipeline network, is in a “phase of final decision-making” on a possible purchase of 9 percent of Nord Stream AG, said Pieter Trienekens, a Gasunie board member.

Nord Stream is an OAO Gazprom-led venture that’s building an underwater natural-gas pipeline linking Russia to Germany. Gazprom asked Gasunie to buy a 9 percent stake in the venture, Trienekens said at a gas conference in Amsterdam today, following similar comments made by company executives. read more

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Associated Press: Oil Briefly Hits $70 a Barrel

Thursday June 28, 10:01 am ET 
Oil Futures Briefly Hit $70 a Barrel on Supply Concerns

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil futures briefly hit $70 a barrel in New York trading Thursday for first time since Sept. 1 after a government report showed that gasoline inventories dropped unexpectedly just as the summer driving season is about to hit its peak.
 
Light, sweet crude for August delivery gained 95 cents to $69.92 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after rising briefly above $70. The front month contract last settled above $70 on Aug. 31. read more

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Summit Daily News: House passes amendment to restrict federal oil shale

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
June 27, 2007

DENVER – A measure intended to force the government to move slowly on efforts toward commercial production of oil shale on federal land won approval Wednesday in the U.S. House.

The proposal by Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., to amend the 2008 Interior Department’s appropriations bill, would prohibit the use of federal funds to prepare final regulations for a commercial leasing program or to conduct commercial lease sales.

The Interior bill, passed by the House, now goes to the Senate. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

BBC News: Cool not cold – Russia’s new foreign policy

28 June 2007

As the US and Russian presidents prepare for a difficult summit in Maine, BBC News website world affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds assesses Moscow’s tough and independent foreign policy. 
 
Western governments were taken by surprise when Russia under President Vladimir Putin started to harden up its foreign and domestic policy, but this is something they will have to learn to live with for the foreseeable future.

A common way of describing this relationship (I have done so myself) is to say it has “echoes of the Cold War” or is even “a new Cold War”. read more

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ShellNews.net: Example of corrupt practices at Shell ignored by Malcolm Brinded

ARTICLE: ALARM BELLS RING OVER TENDERING FOR ROYAL DUTCH SHELL CONTRACTS:

First published Monday 29 August 2005: 03.0 ET (UPDATED 5 SEPT 2010)

By Alfred Donovan

Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria has a double page spread advertisement in the current edition of The Economist magazine (August 27th -September 2nd) inviting tenders for a major contract in Nigeria. There is a volume of small print setting out the tender terms, which includes a provision that Shell will not enter into correspondence on why a company has been short-listed or not short-listed. Basically applicants for “pre-qualification” have to jump through various hoops and submit the required information on a confidential basis. Only companies that pass the pre-qualification evaluation will be eligible to be invited by Shell to “competitively” tender. read more

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Bloomberg: Kazakhstan Cuts Forecast for Oil Output 13%; Projects Delayed

By Nariman Gizitdinov and Eduard Gismatullin

June 28 (Bloomberg) — Kazakhstan, the second-largest oil producer among the former Soviet states after Russia, cut its forecast for oil output by 13 percent because of project delays and pipeline bottlenecks.

The nation now plans to pump 140 million tons of crude (2.8 million barrels a day) in 2015, down from an earlier target of 3.2 million barrels a day, according to a Kazakh Energy Ministry report distributed today in London. The nation holds 35 billion barrels of recoverable reserves. read more

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Comment posted on the FT Online Poll: Is this the worst motivational memo ever?

So Greer has gone

by Greer – who are you?   23 Jun 2007  02:35 PM

Most people will rejoice in this fact and wondered how such an arrogant man ever got to where he was in Shell. Most supporters will point to his ‘incredible’ track record of producing projects ‘on time’ and ‘on budget’. All these claism are flase since Greer constantly moved the targets to make himself look good. take a good look at the Prime Scope estiamtes and there will come the truth.

The fact is that Greer has no repsect for people and their feelings, he is totally polarised by Greer plc and what his people can do to make him look good. If this is disputed just look at his staff turnover which is the highest in any project. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Bloomberg: Environmentalists Warn Sumitomo, ABN About Gazprom’s Sakhalin-2

EXTRACT: David Greer quit last week as project director and deputy chief executive of the joint venture Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., and left Shell as well.  Greer had issued a motivational memo to Sakhalin pipeline staff in April urging them to complete their tasks this year, saying he despised cowards. Shell has confirmed the nature of the note though the company said his departure was not linked to it.

THE ARTICLE

By Stephen Voss

June 27 (Bloomberg) — Environmental groups urged Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., ABN Amro Holding NV and other lenders not to fund Russia’s Sakhalin-2 project, saying its environmental record hasn’t improved since OAO Gazprom took over. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Vanguard (Nigeria): 500,000 bpd Nigeria crude to remain shut-in through 2007

By Hector Igbikiowubo

LAGOS — ABOUT 500,000 barrels per day of Nigeria’s crude oil output, representing a fifth of the country’s current total production, will remain shut-in through 2007 after the Royal Dutch Shell Plc foreclosed yesterday, plans to re-enter its operations in the western Niger Delta.

Ann Pickard, Shell’s Africa Regional Executive Vice President in charge of Exploration and Production, made the disclosure while speaking at an energy security conference hosted by Cambridge Energy Resources Associates in Istanbul, Turkey. read more

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DubaiPhotoMedia: Agility and Transcar awarded worlds largest freight contract with Qatar-Pearl GTL project

Published: Jun 28, 2007

DUBAI, June 27 (DubaiPhotoMedia): Agility Project Logistics (the new name for Transoceanic Shipping Company, Inc.), joined hands with Transcar Projects Ltd. to win the global shipping contract for two phases of the Pearl Gas to Liquids (GTL) in Ras Laffan, Qatar.

Agility Project Logistics is a specialized group within Agility, a leading global provider of integrated supply chain solutions. Transcar is one of Europes leading privately held project freight forwarders, managing general and project cargoes. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Financial Times: In his own words: Exxon’s Rex Tillerson

On the energy bill:

“This current energy bill that’s out there almost defies any sense of logical or rational thinking. I think it’s playing on a lot of emotions that are evident among the American people today, who for a lot of good reasons are upset with the high prices of energy, something they’re not accustomed to – $3 a gallon gasoline, higher electricity costs – and for a lot of people that is a serious problem, when their energy costs go to that level. And for a lot of other people, they just don’t like it. It may not be a serious problem, because when you look at the demand situation, at this point there’s been little demand response to the high prices. So for most of the people my conclusion is that they don’t like it and they complain loudly and bitterly about it, but it’s obviously not something that’s causing them to alter very many things around their normal daily habits or routine. But I think people are reacting to that and in a not very rational way.“ read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

The Guardian: Kremlin lays claim to huge chunk of oil-rich North Pole

Luke Harding in Moscow
Thursday June 28, 2007

It is already the world’s biggest country, spanning 11 time zones and stretching from Europe to the far east. But yesterday Russia signalled its intention to get even bigger by announcing an audacious plan to annex a vast 460,000 square mile chunk of the frozen and ice-encrusted Arctic.

According to Russian scientists, there is new evidence backing Russia’s claim that its northern Arctic region is directly linked to the North Pole via an underwater shelf. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

The Times: Morgan Stanley raised Royal Dutch Shell to “equal-weight” from “underweight” based on a sum-of-the-parts valuation of £32.10 a share.

Thursday 28 June 2007

Morgan Stanley raised Royal Dutch Shell to “equal-weight” from “underweight” based on a sum-of-the-parts valuation of £32.10 a share. There is a massive gap between the market value and the underlying value of the company,” it told clients, continuing: “The de-rating of the supermajors has been relentless for four years. The conglomerate presentation belies what are more valuable businesses. The large cap now represents the cheapest access to energy in the world in our view.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Associated Press: Judge Dismisses Gas Pricing Lawsuit

By GARY GENTILE 06.27.07

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by six gas station owners who claimed Shell Oil Co. charged them more for gas as a way to drive customers to nearby company-owned locations.

The lawsuit was thrown out on Tuesday, just moments before attorneys were set to deliver closing arguments after a monthlong trial in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana.

Judge James V. Selna dismissed the case after concluding that testimony provided by an expert witness did not meet legal minimum standards and could not be used by the jury to determine any possible losses suffered by the defendants. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Associated Press: Judge Dismisses Gas Pricing Lawsuit

By GARY GENTILE 06.27.07

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by six gas station owners who claimed Shell Oil Co. charged them more for gas as a way to drive customers to nearby company-owned locations.

The lawsuit was thrown out on Tuesday, just moments before attorneys were set to deliver closing arguments after a monthlong trial in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana.

Judge James V. Selna dismissed the case after concluding that testimony provided by an expert witness did not meet legal minimum standards and could not be used by the jury to determine any possible losses suffered by the defendants. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Brandon Sun (Canada): Shell gets province’s OK to do environmental assessment on proposed refinery

Canadian Press

TORONTO (CP) – The Ontario government has given the go-ahead for Shell Canada’s environmental assessment of its proposed new refinery near Sarnia, Ont.

Environment Minister Laurel Broten announced Wednesday that she has approved the oil company’s plan for identifying the refinery’s impact on the environment. “The terms of reference is just the first step in the environmental assessment process, which Shell has volunteered to undertake,” Broten said in a statement. read more

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The Moscow Times: Alfa Bank Sees Risk of State Attack

Thursday, June 28, 2007. Issue 3687. Page 5.

Mikhail Fridman’s Alfa Bank said it might become a target for state acquisition or liquidation in view of developments surrounding Russneft, Yukos and Sakhalin-2.

In a note to investors that accompanied a $500 million Eurobond float offer, the bank said recent state takeovers of private companies was a risk factor that investors face in Russia.

A tax investigation into Yukos resulted in the imprisonment of its owner, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and the sale of its assets, while both the government and Gazprom pressured Shell to relinquish its control of Sakhalin-2, the bank said in the memorandum, Vedomosti reported Wednesday. The bank said both Yukos and Sakhalin-2 put a question mark on the security of private property, the rights of investors and the independence of the courts in Russia. In addition, “they negatively reflected on investment in the Russian economy, especially in the oil and gas sector,” it said. read more

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MarketWatch: Libya oil chief signals pick up in gas deals

By Adam Smallman
Last Update: 7:41 AM ET Jun 27, 2007

VIENNA (MarketWatch) — The pace of gas deals in one-time pariah state Libya is to accelerate in early July when around 15 onshore and offshore areas are to go under the hammer.

The move by the Libyan government is attracting companies of the caliber of Italy’s Eni SpA, which has said it will bid for rights for the field, and comes just weeks after the country struck a huge deal with BP PLC to search for gas in its northwestern quarter. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Trade Arabia: Oil industry ‘faces reliability crisis’

Istanbul : Wed, 27 Jun 2007   

The problem oil firms face in satisfying world demand is not a lack of supplies.

It is more due to their lack of ability to unlock new production and distribute it to consumers reliably, an oil industry conference heard.

‘There is a lot of oil and gas out there, but the time of easy oil has peaked,’ Ann Pickard, regional executive vice-president of Royal Dutch Shell for Africa said.

She said the industry would need to spend more in developing new fields, such as Canada’s oil sands, to meet red hot demand. read more

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Financial Times: Lex Column: Big Oil under pressure

Published: June 27 2007 20:05 | Last updated: June 27 2007 20:05

What links the world’s largest listed company, riots in Tehran, and political attacks on the private equity industry? The curious, and longstanding relationship between politics and Big Oil.

High crude prices stoke not just the profits of oil companies, but also politicians’ blood pressure – and ambitions. The latest round of nationalisation in Venezuela’s oil fields, edging out ExxonMobil, reflects this: when the profit pie gets bigger, resource-rich governments push for a bigger slice. Yet it also excites US politicians, which is also risky. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Financial Times: Exxon faces tricky talks over Sakhalin gas

By Isabel Gorst in Moscow and Ed Crooks in London
Published: June 27 2007 21:16 | Last updated: June 27 2007 21:16

The next delicate negotiation looming for ExxonMobil is over the gas from its Sakhalin 1 project off the eastern coast of Russia.

Gazprom this week urged Exxon to abandon plans to export the gas to China and instead commit supplies to gas markets in the Russian far east, or to the liquefied natural gas plant at the Gazprom-controlled Sakhalin 2 project.

Russia’s state-controlled gas company took a stake of 50 per cent plus one share at the end of last year, wresting control of Sakhalin 2 from Royal Dutch Shell with the help of pressure from the Russian government. read more

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Resource Investor: Exxon continues fight against alternative energy bill

By Jon Nones
27 Jun 2007 at 12:50 PM
 
ExxonMobil’s chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson says the proposed reform of U.S. energy policy passing through Congress “almost defies any sense of logical or rational thinking.” He remains sceptical about the potential development of biofuels in the U.S.

The energy bill sets a target of 36 billion gallons (160 billion litres) a year of biofuel production by 2022. The bill also includes measures to punish “price gouging” by petrol suppliers, raise fuel economy for cars and support research into energy technologies. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

ShellNews.net: Update on the allegations against Sakhalin Energy CEO, Ian Craig

By Alfred Donovan: Wednesday 27 June 2007

We have today received confirmation that the Sakhalin Public Prosecutors office has indeed conducted an investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption relating to Mr Craig and a number of companies, but has closed the case. There is no explanation given for reaching that decision.

We can only assume that either Shell EP General Counsel, Mr Keith Ruddock, was unaware of these facts when he corresponded with us on the subject earlier this week, or considered the information too sensitive to disclose. read more

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The Australian: Woodside set to sidestep green protests

Nigel Wilson, Energy writer
Thursday June 28, 2007

WOODSIDE is considering piping gas from its Browse Basin reservoirs to be processed on the Burrup Peninsula.

The move would avoid a clash with conservationists over the possible destruction of fragile Kimberley ecosystems.

Chief executive Don Voelte told the UBS energy and utilities conference in Sydney yesterday that the company was considering “at least four” development concepts for the Browse Basin, about 400km north of Broome.

He said that although Browse gas was more than 900km from the Burrup, aggregation through the proposed Pluto LNG plant on the peninsula could provide capital savings and minimise the need for infrastructure development in the Browse area, reducing environmental or cultural sensitivities and increasing and accelerating domestic gas development. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Reuters: Exxon, Shell to sell 18% stake in Nova Scotia’s Panuke project

Jun 27, 2007

CALGARY–Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC want to sell their combined 18 per cent stake in the proposed $700 million Deep Panuke gas project off Nova Scotia’s Atlantic Coast, the broker handling the auction said yesterday.

Bids on Exxon Mobil’s 12 per cent and Shell’s 6 per cent of the long-delayed development are due Aug. 8, IndigoPool, the Houston-based acquisition and divestiture service, said in an email message.

EnCana Corp. is the operator of Deep Panuke, with a 78 per cent interest. It restarted efforts to develop it last year after halting its application in 2003 over high costs. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Expatica.com: The Permits Foundation: advocate for expat spouse employment

EXTRACT: As founder and manager of the Shell Group’s Spouse Employment Centre in The Hague, she is directly involved in planning the careers of expatriate partners/spouses.

27 June 2007

Work permit barriers for expat spouses can jeopardise a successful international assignment. But now there is an organisation tackling the trailing spouse permit issue. Patrick R. Rovers speaks with The Permits Foundation’s driving force, Kathleen van der Wilk-Carlton.

The Netherlands-based Permits Foundation was established in 2001 as an international corporate initiative to improve work permit regulations for the spouses of expatriate employees. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

aftenposten.no: Hydro admits overrun: Hydro’s development at Ormen Lange will be nearly twice as expensive as expected.

Construction at Ormen Lange

Construction at Ormen Lange. PHOTO: CORNELIUS POPPE – SCANPIX (ARKIV)
 
Hydro’s gas landing facility at Ormen Lange will cost NOK 17 billion (USD 2.86 billion) more than planned, financial daily Dagens Næringsliv reports.

This is the cost for phase two of the development, which has risen in cost from NOK 20 billion to 37 billion. When parliament approved the extension in 2003 the construction budget was NOK 16 billion, calculated as NOK 20 billion in 2007 currency.

Phase one of the project is currently being completed, on schedule and on budget. read more

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Western People (Ireland): Native American Indians visit site of Corrib dispute

Wednesday, June 27, 2007
By: Daniel Hickey

WHEN, in 1895, Glenamoy National School was built, chances are that the local north Mayo men who laid the bricks would never have imagined that, over 100 years into the future, that national school – now a community centre – would be playing host to a talk by native American Indians.

But it is the quirks of circumstance – the ongoing dispute about the Corrib gas project in particular – which, last week, brought an all-woman delegation from the Six Nations Reserve, Ontario, Canada to the isolated bogland of north Mayo, connecting once isolated areas to a global network of protest. read more

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Dominican Today: Shell admits it altered Dominican Refinery’s fuel invoices

June, 27 – 7:19 AM 
 
SANTO DOMINGO. – A report of the Shell oil firm on the denunciations of altered fuel purchase invoices in the Dominican Petroleum Refinery (Refidomsa) found “the control structure is inadequate for such an important task” and admits there were cases “the freight was influenced” in addition to “deficiencies of the process.”

The report, which the newspaper Listin Diario quotes today, and which had been kept secret, was rendered by Shell’s representative in the Dominican Republic Rafael Maradiaga on March 19 and notes that “the errors or faults (detected in the invoicing) are not systemic.” read more

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Voice of America News: Committee in US House Approves Iran Sanctions Measure

By Dan Robinson
Washington
26 June 2007
 
In another step aimed at increasing the economic cost to Iran of its controversial nuclear enrichment program, a key congressional panel has approved legislation to impose sanctions on Iran’s energy sector. VOA’s Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill.

The House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee approved the legislation, called the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007, by a vote of 37 to 1, recommending that it be moved for consideration by the full House.
 
Tom Lantos  read more

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Dow Jones Newswires: US House Foreign Affairs Panel Passes Iran Sanctions Bill

EXTRACT: Several companies with multi-billion dollar operations in the U.S., or that are listed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA), Norsk Hydro ASA (NHY.OS), Total SA (TOT) and China’s National Offshore Oil Corp. (CEO), are in negotiations for major oil and gas deals with Iran and could be hit by the bill if passed.

June 26, 2007: 11:06 AM EST

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A key House panel Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to pass a wide-ranging bill that would toughen U.S. sanctions on Iran and on companies that invest in the country. read more

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Bloomberg: Cnooc Parent, Shell Borrow $2.9 Billion to Reduce Finance Costs

By Winnie Zhu

June 27 (Bloomberg) — China National Offshore Oil Corp., the nation’s biggest offshore oil explorer, and Royal Dutch Shell Plc borrowed $2.9 billion from banks to reduce the cost of financing their petrochemical venture in southern China.

The venture at Nanhai in Guangdong province borrowed $1.3 billion and 12.4 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) from a group of domestic banks to pay loans arranged in 2003, Liu Junshan, a spokesman for China National Offshore Oil, said today.

The $4.3 billion chemical plant at Daya Bay was the biggest Chinese joint venture with a foreign company when the investment was agreed in 2002. The plant, equally owned by China National Offshore Oil and Shell, started producing 2.3 million metric tons of chemicals including ethylene and propylene annually last year. read more

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Bloomberg: Woodside Considers Processing Browse Gas on Burrup (Update1)

By Angela Macdonald-Smith

June 27 (Bloomberg) — Woodside Petroleum Ltd., Australia’s second-largest oil and gas producer, may process gas from fields in the Browse Basin off the northwestern coast in plants about 600 miles away to cut costs and minimize environmental effects.

Piping gas from the Browse fields to either the proposed Pluto liquefied natural gas project or the existing North West Shelf plant, both on the Burrup Peninsula, is one of at least four development options being considered for the project, Perth- based Woodside said today in a presentation. Sending the gas to Darwin is another of the four, said Roger Martin, a spokesman. read more

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Bloomberg: Chevron’s Gorgon LNG Project May Be `In Trouble,’ Analyst Says

By Angela Macdonald-Smith

June 27 (Bloomberg) — Chevron Corp.’s proposed $10 billion-plus Gorgon liquefied natural gas project in Western Australia is “in trouble” and may cost double the latest cost estimate, said Wall Street Access, a U.S. securities firm.

The project may be re-designed and the start-up may be delayed until 2014, Wall Street Access analyst Bernard Picchi said in a report yesterday. Chevron’s partners in Gorgon, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, are developing “Plan B” options for LNG supply in the Pacific region “just in case Gorgon is dramatically delayed” or worse, he said. read more

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Friends of Australian Rock Art: Woodside’s plans to process browse gas at the Burrup “unrealistic and short-sighted”

June 27, 2007

Woodside CEO Don Voelte’s announcement that gas from the Browse Basin may be processed on the Burrup has been criticised as “unrealistic and short-sighted.”

Robin Chapple, a spokesperson for the Perth-based Friends of Australian Rock Art, said today that there was no room in Karratha or Dampier to support further industrial development on the Burrup.

“Karratha workers are living in seatainers” said Mr Chapple “and the local infrastructure is stretched beyond its capacity.” Mr Chapple said that he understood why Mr Voelte had floated the idea of processing Browse Basin gas at the Burrup. read more

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Jackson Hole Star Tribune: Land trust buys ranch easement

From staff and wire reports Wednesday, June 27, 2007
[oas:casperstartribune.net/news/wyoming:Middle1]

PINEDALE — The Green River Valley Land Trust announced this week it raised $1.2 million to buy a conservation easement on 873 acres of the Murdock family ranch northwest of Pinedale.

The money came from more than 100 individuals and families from Sublette County, the state and country, as well as Ultra Resources Inc., Shell Exploration and Production Co., and Questar Market Resources. Those three companies are major natural gas players on the nearby Pinedale Anticline. read more

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wabusinessnews.com.au: Woodside considers Pluto plant for Browse Basin

Wednesday June 27, 2007        
By Mark Beyer and Andrew Hobbs
 
Woodside Petroleum managing director Don Voelte has raised the possibility that development of its giant Browse Basin gas field could be linked to its planned Pluto LNG plant or the existing North West Shelf Venture’s LNG plant, both on the Burrup Peninsula.

The Pluto and Browse projects have hitherto been considered separate opportunities and the possibility of them being linked represents a major shift in thinking.

Speaking at a conference in Sydney, Mr Voelte confirmed that Woodside was nearing a final investment decision on its Pluto project, which involves developng the Pluto gas field and building an LNG plant on the Burrup peninsula. read more

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kommersant: U.S. Congressional Committee Approved Bill Banning Nuclear Cooperation with Russia

June 27, 2007

The U.S. House of Representatives International Relations Committee approved the bill toughening sanctions imposed on Iran and banning nuclear cooperation agreement with Russia.

The U.S. House of Representatives International Committee voted 37 to 1 for the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act. The bill provides for sanctioning oil and gas companies that do business with Iran, crosses out some tax breaks for companies that invest in Iran and bars sealing any nuclear cooperation agreement with Russia as long as the Kremlin goes on contributing to the nuclear effort of Iran. read more

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Los Angeles Times: Gas station owners’ suit against Shell Oil is tossed

As the trial over ‘zone pricing’ nears a close, a judge strikes expert testimony, saying it is inadequate.

By Elizabeth Douglass, Times Staff Writer
June 27, 2007

A federal judge Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit that pitted Shell Oil Co. against California station operators who said the company overcharged them for gasoline to drive customers to nearby stations that were owned by Shell.

U.S. District Judge James V. Selna’s decision to throw out key expert testimony and end the case was unusual because it came as attorneys for both sides were poised to deliver closing arguments to a jury. read more

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Reuters: UPDATE 1-Iran sanctions bill passes first US Congress test

Tue Jun 26, 2007 2:40 PM ET
By Carol Giacomo, Diplomatic Correspondent
(Adds detail, quotes, background paragraphs 4-5,9-10,12-end)

WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) – President George W. Bush would be forced to sanction oil and gas companies doing business with Iran under legislation that cleared a first hurdle on Tuesday by winning overwhelming approval from a congressional committee.

The bill was approved 37 to 1 by the U.S. House of Representatives International Relations Committee.

It also would eliminate some tax breaks for companies investing in Iran, decrease U.S. contributions to the World Bank if the bank invests in Iran and bar a nuclear cooperation agreement with Russia if Moscow continues to assist Tehran’s nuclear program. read more

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