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December, 2013:

Royal Dutch Shell plc’s $20bn U-turn Is Great News For Shareholders

You can be sure Shell was unsure. The company was set to spend an estimated $20bn on a gas-to-liquid plant, a figure already much higher than previous $12.5bn cost estimate made just a few months ago. But Shell has changed its mind. Now it’s spending $0 on the project. It’s pulled away from it entirely.

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Giant resource companies like miners and integrated oil behemoths don’t have a great track record of prudently stewarding capital for the benefit of their shareholders.

Quite the opposite — they have a reputation for blowing money in booms and going near-bust in downturns.

I’ve even heard mining bosses accused of ‘being addicted to big holes in the ground’. For oil and gas companies, the equivalent is perhaps platforms and refineries as far as the eye can see, like an environmentalist’s worse nightmare. 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.

Over €16 million spent on policing protests against Corrib gas pipeline

Screen Shot 2013-09-04 at 13.49.26Justice Minister Alan Shatter informed the Dáil yesterday that the total cost of policing at the site of the Corrib gas pipeline has now reached “in excess of €16 million” not including the cost of basic salaries of garda members deployed to the area. Shatter also said that the recent allegations that gardaí were supplied with a large quantity of alcohol by a company working for Shell are being investigated by the Garda Ombudsman and it would not be appropriate for him to comment further.

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The figure, not including the salaries of gardaí at the protests in North Mayo, was disclosed by Alan Shatter in the Dáil yesterday.

Wednesday 11 December, 2013

OVER €1.5 MILLION has been spent policing protests at the controversial Shell refinery project in north Mayo since February 2012, it has emerged.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter informed the Dáil yesterday that the total cost of policing at the site of the Corrib gas pipeline has now reached “in excess of €16 million” not including the cost of basic salaries of garda members deployed to the area.

Campaigners from the Shell to Sea organisation have been protesting against the construction of the Corrib gas pipeline for the past seven years. 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 Triple Argentine Shale Spending as Winds Change

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By Pablo Gonzalez and Daniel Cancel: Dec 10, 2013

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)’s Argentine unit plans to triple shale investments on prospects that the government will change energy policies to spur development of the Vaca Muerta formation and cut fuel imports.

Shell Argentina will increase its shale capital expenditures to about $500 million next year from $170 million at year-end, Chief Executive Officer Juan Jose Aranguren said. The company that mainly refines crude in Argentina will boost test drilling in Vaca Muerta with a long-term goal of producing light crude from its shale operations, he 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.

Oil Probe Document Disclosure Won’t Be Delayed

Screen Shot 2013-05-17 at 01.06.41Crude oil traders including Morgan Stanley and Royal Dutch Shell Plc lost a bid to temporarily block disclosure of millions of trading records and other documents from a six-year U.S. probe while an appeals court hears the case. The files include e-mails, depositions, trading records and audio files.

Screen Shot 2012-11-19 at 09.32.24 By Bob Van Voris: December 10, 2013 Crude oil traders including Morgan Stanley (MS:US) and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) lost a bid to temporarily block disclosure of millions of trading records and other documents from a six-year U.S. probe while an appeals court hears the case.The federal appeals court in New York today denied the request, lifting a temporary stay on the disclosure entered Nov. 20. The court today also denied the oil traders’ request that it hear their appeal on an expedited basis.U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley on Oct. 25 ordered the documents, originally gathered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as part of a probe begun in December 2007, to be given to a group of private plaintiffs claiming price-fixing in the crude-oil market. Pauley restricted access to the most sensitive material.The files include e-mails, depositions, trading records and audio files.The CFTC on May 24, 2011, accused Parnon Energy Inc., which is controlled by billionaire John Fredriksen, of manipulating the prices of West Texas Intermediate crude. Two days later, a private plaintiff sued Parnon, seeking to represent a class of everyone who traded in WTI derivative contracts from Dec. 1, 2007, until at least May 31, 2008.

Pauley hasn’t yet ruled whether he’ll let the case proceed as a class action.

The case is In Re Crude Oil Commodity Futures Litigation, 11-cv-03600. The CFTC case is U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Parnon Energy Inc., 11-cv-3543, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan). The appeal is U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Parnon Energy Inc., 13-04206, Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (Manhattan).

To contact the reporter on this story: Bob Van Voris in federal court in Manhattan at [email protected] 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.

Reflections on Yuletide greetings from Shell lawyers

A promotional game devised for Shell by Don Marketing

A promotional game devised for Shell by Don Marketing

The threats about defamation, breach of contract, contempt of court, potential action by third parties etc are also duly noted; a fairly typical variety of seasonal greetings from Shell. Is this part of the policy of dealing with me “sympathetically” as promised in writing by Mr Wiseman on 26th November 2002? If this is the compassionate approach, it is frightening to speculate on what I could expect if Shell decided to take a hardline; perhaps a gift-wrapped bomb-tipped walking stick, or an Ebola infected fairy queen to hang on my Xmas Tree?

By John Donovan

I have been looking at our correspondence files with Shell and its lawyers stretching back two decades.

This is in connection with an ongoing project that will come to fruition in 2014.

Since we fought six high court actions against Shell between 1994 and 1999, there were bound to be some interesting episodes.

In 1997, Shell management was enraged that we were bringing yet another claim for breach of confidence and breach of contract  – Shell had already settled our first three actions. 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 plans spark calls for federal environmental review

Environmentalists are calling for a federal environmental assessment of a billion-dollar oil exploration project in Nova Scotia on top of the provincial one. Environmentalists worry about the risk of a disaster that could threaten marine life such as whales, swordfish and tuna.

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Shell Canada proposing major offshore N.S. exploration of 7 oil wells beginning in 2015

CBC News Posted: Dec 10, 2013

Environmentalists are calling for a federal environmental assessment of a billion-dollar oil exploration project in Nova Scotia on top of the provincial one.

Shell Canada is proposing a major offshore Nova Scotia exploration of seven oil wells beginning in 2015.

Armed with geological information it gathered from seismic vessels last summer, Shell plans to drill in much deeper water than the existing gas wells near Sable Island.

Environmentalists worry about the risk of a disaster that could threaten marine life such as whales, swordfish and tuna. 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 ranks way behind rivals in unconventional oil

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By John Donovan

Information on page 21 of a November 2013 – 30 page report by industry experts, Wood Mackenzie, reveals that Shell ranks way behind its rivals in unconventional oil. 

It warns on the same page about the difficulties of searching out enticing opportunities for M&A activity

The highly informative Wood Mackenzie Executive Summary Report on Royal Dutch Shell, available on subscription, contains positive, as well as negative expert opinion about the oil giant.

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 under fire over ‘toxic waste risk’

Screen Shot 2013-12-10 at 08.58.34 Published at 12:01AM, December 10 2013

Dozens of huge concrete tanks containing unknown amounts of toxic petrochemical waste will be left on the seabed under the latest proposals for decommissioning some of the oldest and largest oil rigs around Scotland’s coast.

The energy giant Shell plans to apply early next year for permission to leave 64 underwater storage tanks in the Brent oilfield, 116 miles off Shetland. Each is about 60 metres in height, roughly the same as Edinburgh’s Scott Monument and taller than Nelson’s column in London. 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.

Arrow Energy gas plant gets the green light from government

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WITH four strokes of his pen, Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt has given approval to a suite of enormously expensive and controversial projects planned for Central Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef.

Mr Hunt approved two major projects from the Shell-owned Arrow Energy, allowing it to build a $15 billion dollar  plant on Curtis Island to convert coal seam gas to liquefied natural gas.

The final approval allows Shell, through Arrow to connect that factory to the mainland via an 9.45km underwater pipeline. 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.

First Utility partners with Shell to bring down its energy costs

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by Suzie Neuwirth: December 10, 2013

IN A bid to break the stranglehold of the big six, independent energy supplier First Utility yesterday said it has secured a partnership with Shell Energy to get better deals from the wholesale market.

Under the new five to 10 year deal, energy giant Shell will act as an intermediary for First Utility, using its scale and expertise to competitively source wholesale electricity and gas.

First Utility has previously spoken about the difficulties competing with vertically integrated energy suppliers such as SSE and Centrica, who have both retail and generation businesses. While their retail divisions buy energy in the wholesale market, much of it has been produced by their own generating arms, which make much larger profit margins. 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.

Activists seek sharp swords in human rights battle

Human rights organizations were bitterly disappointed when the United States Supreme Court rejected legal claims made by the family of Nigerian activist Barinem Kiobel against oil multinational Shell earlier this year. Kiobel and eight other activists had been sentenced to death and executed in 1995 for protesting against oil extraction in the Niger Delta. The plaintiffs in the case had accused the company of colluding with the Nigerian government in the activists’ deaths.

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Human rights sometimes suffer when companies extract oil, mine the earth or produce cheap clothing. When those affected take the matter to court, they often have little hope of compensation or support.

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  • Date 09.12.2013
  • Author Jennifer Fraczek / sad
  • Editor Nancy Isenson, André Leslie

Human rights organizations were bitterly disappointed when the United States Supreme Court rejected legal claims made by the family of Nigerian activist Barinem Kiobel against oil multinational Shell earlier this year. Kiobel and eight other activists had been sentenced to death and executed in 1995 for protesting against oil extraction in the Niger Delta. The plaintiffs in the case had accused the company of colluding with the Nigerian government in the activists’ deaths.

The Kiobel v. Shell case was prosecuted in the United States as a result of the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), which allows foreigners to seek compensation for human rights violations there, regardless of where the alleged abuses occurred. More than 100 cases have been adjudicated under ATS, including crimes committed during Apartheid-era South Africa and under Argentina’s dictatorship. 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 Rush for the Arctic’s Riches

Screen Shot 2013-01-11 at 20.09.51The severe challenges of operating in the Arctic have already proved daunting for Shell, which has spent $4.5 billion to exploit reserves off Alaska but has yet to drill a single producing well. In the summer of 2012, during Royal Dutch Shell’s first attempt to probe its Arctic deposits, shifting winds and floating ice halted drilling. Several months later, when one of its drilling rigs ran aground during an especially severe storm, Shell announced that it would suspend operations in Alaska’s Arctic waters. Shell’s misfortunes have heightened concern that Arctic drilling poses an unacceptable threat to the region.

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By MICHAEL T. KLARE: A version of this op-ed appears in print on December 9, 2013, in The International New York Times.

AMHERST, Mass. — While many existing oil and gas reserves in other parts of the world are facing steep decline, the Arctic is thought to possess vast untapped reservoirs. Approximately 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil deposits and 30 percent of its natural gas reserves are above the Arctic Circle, according to the United States Geological Survey. Eager to tap into this largess, Russia and its Arctic neighbors — Canada, Norway, the United States, Iceland and Denmark (by virtue of its authority over Greenland) — have encouraged energy companies to drill in the region. 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.

Taylor: Will SEC give oil companies the green light on secrecy?

In the event that Shell and Eni’s handling of the deal is found to be in breach of U.S. anti-bribery laws, investors, who were not given the opportunity to assess these payments, could also be on the hook for penalties that could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

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By Simon Taylor | December 7, 2013

Lack of new disclosure rules for foreign government access puts investors at risk

Conspicuously missing from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s annual update on regulatory activity released last week is a rule requiring companies to disclose what they pay foreign governments for access to natural resources. The agency needs to put an immediate end to these secret payments if it is to do its job of protecting investors.

When the SEC proposed disclosure rules in August 2012 as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial law, the American Petroleum Institute (which represents companies such as Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron) sued the SEC to keep their deals – and the public – in the dark. In July, a federal court supported the institute’s case and ordered the SEC to revise its original payment disclosure rule. The SEC needs to make the rewrite a top priority so that a new version of the rules is released in early 2014. 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 Chastised for poor performance in American Unconventional Gas

By John Donovan

On page 19 of a 30 page Wood Mackenzie report issued in November 2013, Shell is chastised for it poor performance in the US and Canada unconventional gas market compared with its rivals.

The excellent Wood Mackenzie Executive Summary Report on Royal Dutch Shell, available on subscription, contains positive, as well as negative expert opinion about the oil giant.

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.

Ottawa approves Shell’s Jackpine oil sands expansion

The federal Conservative government has approved plans to expand an oil sands mining project, despite the environment minister saying the effort is likely to cause significant “adverse environmental effects.

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CARRIE TAIT: CALGARY — The Globe and Mail: Published

The federal Conservative government has approved plans to expand an oil sands mining project, despite the environment minister saying the effort is likely to cause significant “adverse environmental effects.”

The government on Friday gave its blessing to Royal Dutch Shell PLC’s expansion plans at its Jackpine mine project, about 70 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Alta. The approval comes with a list of conditions tied to wildlife, the environment and First Nations. 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 Retains Edelman And WPP For Global PR

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Arun Sudhaman 06 Dec 2013 

LONDON—Shell has concluded its global PR review by retaining incumbent agencies Edelman and WPP.

After a competitive tender, Shell has, for the most part, opted to continue working with agencies that were already in place. Edelman remains the company’s key retail partner, while Burson-Marsteller — the company’s other primary agency — is expected to form part of WPP’s ‘Team Shell’ arrangement. Full article
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.

Links to a selection of Shell related articles

Links to a selection of Shell related articles kindly supplied by a regular contributor

Shell Shows It Can’t Ensure Safe Offshore Oil Operations in the ArcticAudubon Magazine-Six oil companies are involved, but Hague-based Royal Dutch Shell, Europe’s …

Shell Oil Self-Imposes Carbon Pollution Tax High Enough To Crash …ThinkProgress-Nov 21, 2013: Carbon-tax Royal Dutch Shell includes a high price for carbon dioxide when evaluating new projects. The $40 a metric ton price that Shell uses …

Shell’s Alaska oil comeback in Arctic proposed for a July startAlaska DispatchDec 4, 2013: The Netherlands-based oil giant has long said it would not return to  According to a report from Reuters, Shell plans to return to offshore  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.

Eni CEO Doesn’t See Kashagan Output Stoppage Running into 2015

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December 6, 2013

A prolonged halt at the Kashagan oil field, which has been plagued by years of delays and cost overruns, could be a drag on the finances of the consortium behind the project, which includes Exxon Mobil Corp, France’s Total SA, Eni and Royal Dutch Shell PLC).

FULL ARTICLE

RELATED REUTERS ARTICLE

World’s costliest oil field arrives, but Kazakh dreams shrivel

A consortium including Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Total and ENI once promised to transform the prospects of the entire country of Kazakhstan and earn massive profits for their own shareholders. But those dreams have shrivelled amid cost overruns, delays, government interference and internal disputes among partners. 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.

A Rush to Expand Oil Drilling in the Arctic

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Waves crash over Royal Dutch Shell’s conical drilling unit Kulluk, where it sits aground Jan. 1, 2013, on the southeast side of Sitkalidak Island, Alaska. A unified command, consisting of U.S. Coast Guardsmen; federal, state and local partners; and industry representatives, was established in response to the grounding.

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Nations are moving to exploit the commercial potential of the region

By : December 5, 2013

In late December 2012, the U.S. Coast Guard was dispatched to rescue 18 crew members from the Kulluk, a Royal Dutch Shell drilling rig that had broken free from its tow. The responders battled an Arctic storm that generated near hurricane-strength winds and 50-foot waves, but despite their efforts, the rig ran aground off of a small Alaskan island on New Year’s Eve. The oil rig’s fuel tanks were not breached, according to a Department of the Interior review, but up to 272 gallons of diesel oil may have flowed into the water from shattered lifeboats. The Kulluk incident – the culmination of the first exploratory drilling effort in the U.S. Arctic in almost two decades – demonstrated the perils posed by this remote and harsh area of the world. 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 Halts $20 Billion Louisiana Gas-to-Liquids Project

Shell started the first commercial gas-to-liquids plant in 1993, using a process developed in Germany and used to make fuels during World War II. 

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By Bradley Olson – Dec 5, 2013 9:50 PM GMT

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Europe’s biggest oil company, halted plans to build a $20 billion gas-to-liquids plant in Louisiana, citing the potential cost and uncertainty about future crude and natural gas prices.

The project would have used natural gas to produce 140,000 barrels a day of liquid fuels and other products normally made from oil, The Hague-based company said in a statement today. Despite ample U.S. gas supplies from a boom in shale production, gas-to-liquids isn’t “a viable option for Shell in North America,” the company 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 abandons £12bn plan to turn gas into jet fuel in the US

He boasted that the project showed ‘there’s no better place in the world for major business investment’. But, without warning, last night it pulled the project.

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By Peter Campbell: PUBLISHED: 6 December 2013

Shell last night pulled the plug on a £12billion scheme to turn gas into jet fuel – and ruled out doing any work in the area in the whole of the US.

The oil supermajor had previously trumpeted a new facility in Louisiana that it said would create almost 5,000 permanent jobs in the area.

The State’s Governor Bobby Jindal had even promised tax incentives of £70million to help the company make the project work.

He boasted that the project showed ‘there’s no better place in the world for major business investment’. 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.

Citing Cost Concerns, Shell Will Not Build Gulf Coast Plant

“We are making tough choices here, focusing our efforts and capital on the most attractive opportunities in our worldwide portfolio,” Peter Voser, Shell’s chief executive, said in a statement. The decision would appear to be a blow to Shell’s ambitions both in natural gas technology and in the United States, where it is a major investor.

By STANLEY REED: December 5, 2013

Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday that it would not build an immense gas-to-liquids plant on the Gulf Coast because of concerns over its cost. Shell had been studying the possibility of building a plant to take advantage of cheap shale gas in the United States for at least two years.

“We are making tough choices here, focusing our efforts and capital on the most attractive opportunities in our worldwide portfolio,” Peter Voser, Shell’s chief executive, said in a statement. 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.

Wood Mackenzie report cites a variety of Shell failings

Screen Shot 2013-06-30 at 08.30.42The information on page 5 of a current report by industry experts (Wood Mackenzie) speak volumes about the unappetizing legacy left by Royal Dutch Shell Chief Executive Peter Voser who is about to take early retirement. Some say that like David Lawrence of Alaska, Voser was persuaded to jump ship?

By John Donovan

The information on page 5 of a current report by industry experts (Wood Mackenzie) speak volumes about the unappetizing legacy left by Royal Dutch Shell Chief Executive Peter Voser (above right), who is about to take early retirement. (Some say that like David Lawrence of Alaska, Voser was persuaded to jump ship?)

On page 5 Wood Mackenzie cites a variety of failings, including a huge overspend in Alaska.

The highly informative Executive Summary Report on Royal Dutch Shell, available on subscription, contains positive, as well as negative expert opinion about the oil giant. 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 Won’t Proceed with Louisiana Gas-to-Liquids Project

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December 5, 2013

LONDON–Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA.LN) said Thursday that it will not proceed with a proposed gas-to-liquids project in Louisiana due to the likely development costs and uncertainties over long-term oil and gas prices.

FULL ARTICLE

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.

Large Companies Prepared to Pay Price on Carbon

ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, BP and Shell, all major contributors to the Republican party…

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Shell, a co-owner of the Motiva oil refinery in Port Arthur, Tex., has added climate-related carbon taxes to its long-term budgets. Michael Stravato for The New York Times

By CORAL DAVENPORT:  A version of this article appears in print on December 5, 2013, on page A1 of the New York edition

WASHINGTON — More than two dozen of the nation’s biggest corporations, including the five major oil companies, are planning their future growth on the expectation that the government will force them to pay a price for carbon pollution as a way to control global warming.

The development is a striking departure from conservative orthodoxy and a reflection of growing divisions between the Republican Party and its business supporters.

A new report by the environmental data company CDP has found that at least 29 companies, some with close ties to Republicans, including ExxonMobil, Walmart and American Electric Power, are incorporating a price on carbon into their long-term financial plans. 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.

Oil spill coats river, sea near ENI Nigeria facility

Vast stretches of the delta’s unique mangrove swamps are blackened and dead from oil pollution.

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By Tife Owolabi: YENAGOA, Nigeria Tue Dec 3, 2013 5:39pm IST

(Reuters) – A large oil spill near Nigeria’s Brass facility, run by ENI, has spread through the sea and swamps of the oil producing Niger Delta region, local residents and the company said on Monday.

ENI said it was not yet possible to determine the cause of the spill.

There are hundreds of leaks every year from pipelines that pass through the delta’s creeks, damaging the environment and the profits of oil companies including ENI and Royal Dutch Shell, especially when production has to be deferred. 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.

Raizen Energia Ethanol Sales Hurt by U.S. Cuts: Corporate Brazil

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December 04, 2013

Raizen Energia SA, Brazil’s biggest ethanol exporter, is the sugar-cane processor most at risk from a U.S. plan to cut biofuel mandates, threatening the South American country’s $6.4 billion export market.

The joint venture between oil producer Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and Cosan SA Industria & Comercio produced 2.32 billion liters (612.1 million gallons) of ethanol in the 12 months through March. More than half was exported and most of that was shipped to the U.S., according to Salim Morsy, a New York-based analyst with Bloomberg New Energy Finance. 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 plans more testing in Great South Basin

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4 December 2013

Shell is planning more seismic surveys of the seafloor off the coast of South Otago. Shell New Zealand holds two deepwater exploration permits for the Great South Basin covering about 25,000 square kilometres. At their closest, the areas come within about 50km of the coastline south of Dunedin. The company is due to decide whether to begin test drilling for natural gas in one area by early January 2014. Shell New Zealand said preview seismic mapping in two and three dimensions have indicated two potential natural gas accumulations it wants to explore further. The company said it would begin a new set of two-dimensional surveying in January, running for about 70 days. SOURCE
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.

BP and Shell among oil firms Iran wants back in country

Iranian Oil Minister seeks talks with oil giants to return Iran to help tap world’s fourth-largest oil reserves after sanctions are lifted

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By Reuters: 2:25PM GMT 04 Dec 2013

Iran on Wednesday named seven Western oil companies it wants back in its vast oil and gas fields once international sanctions are lifted and said it would offer contract terms in April next year.

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh named the seven in order: BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Total of France, Italy’s ENI, Norway’s Statoil, and US companies Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips.

Iran has the world’s fourth-largest proved national reserves of oil – most of it cheap to produce – and is also home to the biggest proved reserves of natural gas, some 18pc of the global total. 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.

Royal Dutch Shell Completes $7.48B Credit Facility

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December 4, 2013

LONDON–Oil company Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA.LN) Wednesday said it has completed a $7.48 billion credit facility with a group of banks, replacing a $5.1 billion facility that was originally due to expire in August 2015.

FULL ARTICLE

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Shell charts return to offshore Alaska drilling in July

 Screen Shot 2013-01-11 at 20.09.51The return marks a big step for Shell after a troubled 2012 season that galvanized environmental opposition to drilling off Alaska’s coast and forced the company to abandon exploration plans for 2013. The Transocean rig replaces Shell’s Kulluk, a drillship that ran aground in January while being towed south after completing its work off Alaska.

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Wed Dec 4, 2013 3:48pm EST

Dec 4 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc will return to Alaskan offshore drilling next July and will deploy an upgraded drillship in the Chukchi Sea, while keeping a newly contracted backup drillship ready if needed, according to plans released on Wednesday.

The Noble Discoverer, now undergoing maintenance and upgrades in South Korea, will perform exploration drilling with a containment dome kept on standby in case of spills. Transocean’s Polar Pioneer will provide backup. read more

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Shell: A continuing story of Over-promise and Under-delivery

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By John Donovan

The above slide appeared in a 62 page Royal Dutch Shell PowerPoint presentation prepared in June 2000: “Excom Early Look Business Plan 2000”.

It is clear from the content of the presentation that Shell was well aware of the potential dangers ahead.

Unfortunately is is equally clear from page 4 of a current 30 page Wood Mackenzie Executive Summary of Shell (dated November 2013) that Shell failed to take heed of  the internal alarm bells rung in 2000.

On the same page Shell is taken to task over its unlikely ability to create any significant growth bearing in mind several past years of flat-lining or diminishing production and warns about the related challenges facing the new CEO Ben van Beurden.  read more

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How to Play the Largest Shale Gas Reserves in the World

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December 3, 2013

The U.S. has undergone a major energy boom as a result of shale drilling, but it isn’t the only nation with expansive shale gas reserves. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that China could be sitting on top of 1,275 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, 50% more than America. That would make China the largest shale gas play in the world.

While North American natural gas prices are low, Asia is a very lucrative market for dry-gas producers. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A  ) has teamed up with PetroChina  (NYSE: PTR  ) to try to tap into China’s colossal reserves. 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.

World’s largest ship launched but bigger one planned

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World’s largest ship launched but bigger one planned

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By Edd GentThe world’s largest ship has been launched but developer Royal Dutch Shell already has plans for something bigger.

The Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) plant The Prelude is half a kilometre from bow to stern, room for four football pitches on deck were it not for a clutter of kit towering up to 93m high that will draw gas from under the sea bed for dispatch to Asia by the boatload.

But as the partly-built structure floats out of dry dock for the first time, Shell has said it wants to consolidate its advantage as the first mover in FLNG – an as-yet untried technology for which Prelude will be the flagship. read more

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Shell to GE Lured by Gas-Fueled Ships on Record Supply

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), General Electric Co. (GE) and a company co-founded by T. Boone Pickens are planning investments in natural-gas-powered shipping as record U.S. output spurs the merchant fleet to use a new fuel.

Shell said in March it’s planning LNG plants for the Great Lakes and Gulf Coast.

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Sales of US corporate bonds likely to break 2012 record

Shell, based in The Hague, raised $4bn through its finance unit with a four-part offering on November 12…

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by Matt Robinson and Sarika Gangar, December 02 2013, 09:31

NEW YORK — Corporate bond sales in the US are poised to eclipse last year’s record as issuers rush to raise cash before the Federal Reserve curtails stimulus that has held borrowing costs close to all-time lows.

Royal Dutch Shell, Europe’s biggest oil company, and Houston-based Cheniere Energy Partners are leading $120.2bn of issuance last, leaving offerings during this year about $32bn shy of last year’s $1.48-trillion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. 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.

European oil giants to talk terms with Iran

Oil ministry officials from Tehran to meet executives from European oil companies and industry experts in London early next year to present the terms upon which they will be invited back

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By Andrew Critchlow: 8:00PM GMT 01 Dec 2013

Iran is stepping up its engagement with European oil companies ahead of inviting them back to the country amid signs that a recent deal over its nuclear programme could see economic sanctions lifted next year.

It is understood that oil ministry officials from Tehran will meet executives from European oil companies and industry experts in London early next year to present the terms upon which they will be invited back. European majors such as Royal Dutch Shell, Total and ENI were all involved in Iran before tighter sanctions targeting oil production were introduced a few years ago, and all are thought to be monitoring the situation closely. read more

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Shell struggling to impress shareholders

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Posted by John Donovan

Page 2 in particular of a 30 page Wood Mackenzie Executive Summary of Shell dated November 2013 makes very interesting reading. This bang up to date expert assessment was kindly supplied by a Shell source, who says the report is in line with the familiar story at Royal Dutch Shell of Over-promise and Under-delivery.

According to expert opinion on the same page, the new leadership has to make hard decisions because in the last several years both exploration and unconventionals have not reached hoped for levels. It also warns of concern that shareholder returns have fallen behind supermajor rivals.
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.