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December 21st, 2007:

RTE (IRELAND): Outsourcing threat to Shell jobs

 RTE

Shell 3,200 jobs could go Friday, 21 December 2007 16:25 Royal Dutch Shell is to outsource a ‘substantial’ part of its information technology operations to cut costs, in a measure that may result in thousands of job losses. A Shell spokewoman said today that the company was in negotiations with three companies about outsourcing the functions and that contracts should be signed in March 2008. One employee told the Shell protest website RoyalDutchShellPlc.com that 3,200 jobs could be lost, but the spokeswoman declined to confirm the numbers. Shell sources said thousands of jobs could be involved but that many of these were contract positions rather than staff members. An internal Shell email obtained by the website lists EDS, T-Systems, the business customer unit of Deutsche Telekom, and AT&T, as being the companies in final talks on taking on different aspects of the business. http://www.rte.ie/business/2007/1221/shell.html
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.

Guardian Unlimited: Shell to cut thousands of IT jobs

Reuters
Friday December 21 2007
By Tom Bergin

LONDON, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc is to outsource a “substantial” part of its information technology operations to cut costs, in a measure that may result in thousands of job losses.

A Shell spokewoman said on Friday that the company was in negotiations with three companies about outsourcing the functions and that contracts should be signed in March 2008.

One employee told the Shell protest website RoyalDutchShellPlc.com that 3,200 jobs could be lost, but the spokeswoman declined to confirm the numbers. 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: Chevron in Australian LNG boost

By Sheila McNulty in Houston
Published: December 21 2007 22:00 | Last updated: December 21 2007 22:00

Chevron is planning to step up its investment in the huge Gorgon liquefied natural gas project off the coast of western Australia. The US’s second biggest oil and gas company is seeking approval from the Australian authorities to build an additional liquefaction plant, the company has told the Financial Times.

It has endorsed a change in project scope from two plants – with capacity of 5m metric tonnes per annum – to three in an effort to improve project economics amid mounting industry cost pressures. read more

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Reuters: UPDATE 1-Shell resumes some oil sands mining

Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:24am EST 

(Adds details)

CALGARY, Alberta, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research) has resumed some oil sands mining at its Athabasca project in northern Alberta, but volumes will be tied to the gradual start-up of its Scotford upgrader near Edmonton, a spokesman said on Friday.

One of two production trains at the 155,000 barrel a day upgrader, which was shut down after being damaged in a Nov. 19 fire, is still expected to resume operations before the end of this month, Shell’s Randy Provencal said. 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.

SHELL TO CUT THOUSANDS OF IT JOBS…

IF ANY MEDIA SOURCE WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT ME FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ABOVE REUTERS STORY, I HAVE A LONG EMAIL FROM A SHELL IT VICE PRESIDENT LEAKED TO US ON THE SAME DAY IT WAS SENT: WEDNESDAY 19 DEC 2007. WE ALSO HAVE OTHER LEAKED DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE SAME SUBJECT AND INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY A SHELL INSIDER. IN ADDITION, WE HAVE EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE WITH MICHIEL BRANDJES, COMPANY SECRETARY OF ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC CONFIRMING TO US THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE LEAKED EMAIL. MR BRANDJES HAS ALSO SUPPLIED COMMENT FOR PUBLICATION. 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: Shell to cut thousands of IT jobs

Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:18am EST 
By Tom Bergin

LONDON, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research) is to outsource a “substantial” part of its information technology operations to cut costs, in a measure that may result in thousands of job losses.

A Shell spokewoman said on Friday that the company was in negotiations with three companies about outsourcing the functions and that contracts should be signed in March 2008.

One employee told the Shell protest website RoyalDutchShellPlc.com that 3,200 jobs could be lost, but the spokeswoman declined to confirm the numbers. 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.

Itar-Tass: Sakhalin-2 project gas supply delayed till spring 2009

21.12.2007, 12.16
 
MOSCOW, December 21 (Itar-Tass) — The liquefied gas will be exported not in 2008, as it was planned earlier, but in spring 2009 under the Sakhalin-2 project, Governor of the Sakhalin region Alexander Khoroshavin told Itar-Tass on Friday.

“Some delays are taking place that make it clear that liquefied gas supplies will not be made in 2008. It will likely be spring 2009,” he said.
 
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=12202677&PageNum=0

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TradingMarkets.com: CNPC and Shell May Be Strategic Partners after Meeting

Friday, December 21, 2007
 
BEIJING, Dec 21, 2007 (SinoCast via COMTEX) — RD | charts | news | PowerRating — China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the nation’s No.1 oil & gas producer, is talking with Royal Dutch/Shell Group in Beijing and may sign a strategic cooperation agreement, after inking a 30-year contract with US-based Chevron Corporation to jointly exploit natural gas in China’s Sichuan Province days ago.

The top managers of the Chinese oil giant are discussing with Jeroen van der Veer, CEO of Shell, about the details of the downstream and upstream projects, and the two sides will likely sign related documents to clinch, sources said. 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: UPDATE 1-Gazprom aims for Sakhalin-2 LNG export by end-2008

Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:06am EST 

TOKYO, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Russia’s gas export monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM: Quote, Profile, Research) will try its best to begin first exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Sakhalin-2 to contracted customers by the end of 2008, its deputy chairman Alexander Ananenkov said on Friday.

His comments came shortly after the governor of Sakhalin said Sakhalin Energy, one of the world’s top LNG projects on Russia’s Pacific Sakhalin island, will delay first LNG exports to Asia by six months to spring 2009 due to problems with pipelines. read more

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www.nam.nl

Herontwikkeling olieveld Schoonebeek
gaat door
De NAM heeft samen met partner Energie Beheer Nederland (EBN) besloten opnieuw olie te gaan winnen in Schoonebeek. De definitieve investeringsbeslissing daartoe is op 20 december 2007 genomen. EBN neemt voor 40 procent financieel deel in het project.

Naar verwachting zal de eerste olie in 2010 gewonnen kunnen worden. Voordat het zover is worden in 2008 eerst de details van het project uitgewerkt en de diverse vergunningen gefaseerd aangevraagd. Aansluitend verwacht de NAM bij Schoonebeek circa 70 putten te boren, verspreid over 18 nieuw aan te leggen winlocaties.

> Lees meer hierover in het persbericht op nam.nl.

Vogels minder afgeleid door verlichting offshore platforms
In het najaar van 2007 heeft de NAM onderzoek verricht naar de ervaringen met Groen Licht, de nieuwe verlichting op het winningsplatform L15 nabij Vlieland.

Vrijwel alle traditionele verlichting van het platform is medio 2007 vervangen door een nieuw type verlichting – Groen Licht – dat de vogels tijdens de vogeltrek minder zou afleiden. Onderzoek moest uitwijzen of er daadwerkelijk minder vogels op de locatie waargenomen zouden worden. Daarnaast was de NAM benieuwd naar de ervaringen van de medewerkers ter plaatse.

De eerste voorlopige resultaten wijzen uit dat dankzij het nieuwe type verlichting er 50-90 procent minder vogels worden waargenomen op de drukke vogeltrekdagen. Een aanpassing van de laatste lampen zou dit percentage nog kunnen verhogen. Maar daarnaast is er nog een andere prettige bijkomstigheid. Bij sommige activiteiten, zoals kraanwerkzaamheden, kunnen de medewerkers zelfs beter werken met deze nieuwe verlichting. Dankzij het groene licht kunnen medewerkers meer diepte zien en bepaalde afstanden beter inschatten. Samen met producent Philips wordt de inzet van de nieuwe verlichting de komende tijd verder onderzocht.

60 explore 60: veelbesproken jubileum-
evenement
60 explore 60, het evenement waarin 60 jongeren zes weken lang gecoacht zijn door NAM-medewerkers, is woensdag 7 november afgesloten met een spetterende bijeenkomst. Het evenement was opgezet in het kader van het 60-jarig bestaan van de NAM.

> Lees meer hierover in het nieuwsbericht op nam.nl.

Opstarten van locatie Middelie verloopt vlekkeloos
Op 13 november is de nieuwe gaswinning- en behandelingsinstallatie op Middelie-300 in gebruik genomen. De locatie die zo’n 7 kilometer van Volendam ligt, behandelt het aardgas van de locaties Middelie en Westbeemster. De reserves van de bestaande putten worden geschat op ongeveer 1 miljard kubieke meter.

De bouwactiviteiten, met inbegrip van pijpleidingbouw, moesten met uiterste zorg worden uitgevoerd, aangezien de putten en de faciliteiten in het culturele erfgoed van de Beemster liggen. Een milieubeoordeling (MER) vond voorafgaand aan de activiteiten plaats.

CDA-kamerleden bezoeken NAM
In het kader van een bedrijvendag bracht een tweetal Kamerleden van de CDA-fractie op vrijdag 16 november een bezoek aan de NAM. Parlementariërs Eddy van Hijum en Eddy Bilder bezochten de installatie voor ondergrondse gasopslag bij Langelo. Medewerkers van de NAM gaven uitleg over de activiteiten van de NAM, de energievoorziening in de toekomst en de rol van gasopslagen daarbij.
> Lees meer hierover in het nieuwsbericht op nam.nl.
NAM reikt Drentse vrijwilligers publieksprijs uit
Vrijwilligers uit Drenthe stonden woensdagavond 14 november in de schijnwerpers. In Assen maakte een door de provincie ingestelde jury de Marokkaanse Vereniging Meppel als de winnaar van ‘Hét Drents compliment’ bekend. Daarnaast reikte de NAM de publieksprijs uit aan de door de inwoners van de provincie Drenthe gekozen Stichting Internationale Volksculturen Odoorn (SIVO).

> Lees meer hierover in het nieuwsbericht op nam.nl.

Mogelijke gaswinning in Numansdorp
De NAM heeft het voornemen om een proefboring te verrichten naar het gasveld Oudeland, dat zich op ongeveer 2000 meter diepte bevindt in de buurt van Numansdorp (provincie Zuid-Holland). De proefboring moet uitwijzen of er daadwerkelijk gas zit, en of het om een winbare hoeveelheid gaat. Om de plannen aan bewoners toe te lichten, werd op 14 november jl. een informatiebijeenkomst gehouden. Een dertigtal omwonenden liet zich informeren over de nieuw aan te leggen locatie.

Het gasveld Oudeland is naar verwachting een klein veld, met een hoeveelheid gas van minder dan 1 miljard m3. De NAM verwacht in 2008 de nieuwe locatie aan te leggen, waarna de proefboring in 2009 zou kunnen plaatsvinden.

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.

CNNMoney.com: Shell-ExxonMobil JV To Restart Large Dutch Oil Project In 2010

December 21, 2007: 05:21 AM EST

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij BV, or NAM, a joint- venture between Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) and ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM), said oil production will resume at the Dutch Schoonebeck field in 2010.

The decision to restart the oil field comes as rising oil prices and new technologies improve the economics of previously unprofitable oil and gas projects.

In a press statement on its Dutch Web site, Shell, which owns 50% of NAM, said the venture will partner with Dutch-state-owned natural gas company Energie Beheer Nederland BV. EBN will contribute 40% of the costs of the 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.

TMCnet: Shell denies wrongdoing at Dominican refinery

(EFE News Service Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)

Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Thursday it is not responsible for alleged irregularities in the management of this Caribbean nation’s only fuel refinery, which is jointly owned by the Dominican government and the multinational but administered by Shell.

Dominican government auditors found that the Shell managers running the Refidomsa facility have been shortchanging consumers and the state, Listin Diario newspaper reported Wednesday.

The auditor-general’s office, which reviewed operations at the refinery for the 3 1/2 years ending May 31 of this year, said in a posting on its Web site that Shell managers engaged in at least a dozen questionable transactions during the period. 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.

Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Colorado): Officials’ opinions on oil shale mixed

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Rio Blanco and Garfield County officials sounded positive — and skeptical — notes after a federal document identified some potential effects of oil shale development on public lands in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.

Rio Blanco County Commissioner Forrest Nelson said the Bureau of Land Management took the proper go-slow approach toward oil shale.

“We just don’t want any train wrecks,“ Nelson said. “Shell has run into a few problems at their test site up here, but I’m still optimistic something will happen, if oil prices stay where they’re at.” 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 Wall Street Journal: Bridging China’s Oil Gap CNPC Aims to Boost Domestic Recovery With Foreign Partners

By DAVID WINNING
December 21, 2007

BEIJING — China National Petroleum Corp. aims to let more foreign companies develop domestic oil fields, building on the success of major onshore gas deals, as it grapples with stagnant production, a senior executive said.

The oil company, parent of PetroChina Co. and China’s largest by assets, hopes foreign firms can bridge its knowledge-gap in enhanced recovery, especially the injection of carbon dioxide into reservoirs to boost well pressure.

China has used polymer-and-steam injection at fields in the northeast to boost recovery, but industry insiders say carbon-dioxide injection leads to higher recovery rates. 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: Kazakhstan pushes for more after settling for 2% in original oil deal

By Ed Crooks in London and Isabel Gorst in Baku
Published: December 21 2007 02:00 | Last updated: December 21 2007 02:00

Kazakhstan agreed surprisingly generous terms in its 1997 contract with international oil companies for developing the vast Kashagan oilfield, prompting its much-criticised efforts to renegotiate the deal.

The country’s expected income from the first phase of Kashagan was only $120m (€84m) a year for the first 10 years after the start of production, just 2 per cent of the project’s revenues. 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: Showa Shell, Sumitomo to merge LPG businesses

Fri Dec 21, 2007 3:22am EST

TOKYO, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Japanese refiner Showa Shell Sekiyu KK (5002.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and trading company Sumitomo Corp (8053.T: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday they would merge liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) businesses in April to remain competitive in the declining market.

The two firms will consolidate domestic retail and some wholesale businesses under a new holding company, which will be owned 51 percent by Showa Shell and the rest by Sumitomo. 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.

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Shell Donates N2.5m Llibrary to School

Vanguard (Lagos)
21 December 2007

Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) will flag off the construction of a N2.5 billion ultra-modern library for the Niger Delta University (NDU) in Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State today, Friday, December 21.

SNEPCo’s Managing Director, Chima Ibeneche noted that the groundbreaking event sets the stage for the full-scale commencement of physical development of the historic library project being financed from start to finish by Shell.
 
“Shell is delighted to support the Niger Delta University with this library project which we hope will open the doors for many Nigerian students and faculty members, to an era of academic excellence and world class accomplishment. read more

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Bloomberg: Gazprom Pitches $99 Billion Gas Development Plan (Update1)

By Michio Nakayama and Megumi Yamanaka

Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) — OAO Gazprom, the world’s largest natural gas exporter, pitched a 2.44 trillion ruble ($99 billion) plan to develop new supplies of the fuel to potential investors in Tokyo.

The Russian gas monopoly aims to build 9,000 kilometers (5,600 miles) of pipelines and drill 1,294 wells in eastern Siberia by 2030, according to a presentation to a group of about 300 businessmen and reporters today.

Russia, the largest fuel supplier, wants to tap eastern fields to boost flagging output at older gas fields. The country is planning pipelines across Siberia to take advantage of demand in Asian markets such as China and Japan, two of the world’s three biggest energy users. 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 Moscow Times: A Little Oil Firm Playing a Big Game

Friday, December 21, 2007. Issue 3812. Page 1.
By Miriam Elder
Staff Writer  

TOMSK — In a time of fast-encroaching state control over the oil sector, Imperial Energy is a rare bird. Founded in 2004 by a flamboyant English lawyer, the London-listed firm has seen a lot in its short history.

From murky startup negotiations with regional authorities in Tomsk through tussles with federal environmental officials that sent its share price fluctuating wildly, the experience of this small firm exemplifies what it means to navigate the mazes of corruption that permeate President Vladimir Putin’s Russia. 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.