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Business Week

China Fracking Quake-Prone Province Shows Zeal for Gas

China won’t let earthquakes hinder its quest for energy.

Companies such as Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and China National Petroleum Corp. are starting to drill for gas and oil in shale rock in Sichuan, the nation’s most seismically active province, a process geologists say raises the risk of triggering quakes.

“For the Sichuan basin, earthquakes are a problem for shale gas and shale oil production because of the tectonic conditions,” said Shu Jiang, a professor at the University of Utah’s Energy & Geoscience Institute in Salt Lake City. “The siting of the wells could cause some artificial earthquakes.” read more

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Platts Says Commodity-Price Transparency at Risk From Regulation

European antitrust authorities raided Platts’ offices, along with those of Statoil ASA, BP Plc (BP/) and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, in May as part of an investigation into alleged manipulation of oil prices. Regulatory probes are expanding after banks rigged the London interbank offered rate, a benchmark for $300 trillion of global interest-rate contracts.

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By Isaac Arnsdorf: July 31, 2013

Increased regulation of methods used to establish commodities prices could backfire by reducing transparency as market participants may stop giving information, according to Platts, a price publisher.

“Commodity-price discovery depends on the voluntary participation of traders, producers and other market players,” the unit of McGraw Hill Financial Inc. (MHFI:US) said in an e-mailed response to questions. “Regulation could have the inadvertent consequence of inhibiting participation in the price-assessment process which would, in turn, decrease transparency, thus having the opposite effect of regulators’ intentions.” read more

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Shell to Chevron Move Offshore as Nigerian Risks Mount: Energy

At Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s (RDSA) compound in the Nigerian city of Warri, the gate is locked, the grounds are empty and grass has overgrown since Europe’s biggest oil company closed its operations in March after more than 40 years.

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At Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s (RDSA) compound in the Nigerian city of Warri, the gate is locked, the grounds are empty and grass has overgrown since Europe’s biggest oil company closed its operations in March after more than 40 years.

After Warri saw some of the nation’s worst unrest in two decades, Shell has sold land-based fields that pumped about 400,000 barrels a day in the 1990s, valued at $1.2 billion a month at today’s crude prices, and is buying fields offshore. read more

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The smell of corruption surrounding Shell

Nigeria should revoke oil rights for which Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Eni SpA paid $1.1 billion, a parliamentary committee said, alleging that the acquisition process was “highly flawed.” Shell and Eni jointly bought Oil Prospecting License 245 from Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd., controlled by Dan Etete, a former oil minister, in 2011. Located in the deep offshore waters of the Gulf of Guinea, it is estimated to hold at least 9 billion barrels of crude reserves worth $1 trillion…

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By Elisha Bala-Gbogbo: July 19, 2013

Nigeria should revoke oil rights for which Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and Eni SpA (ENI) paid $1.1 billion, a parliamentary committee said, alleging that the acquisition process was “highly flawed.”

Shell and Eni jointly bought Oil Prospecting License 245 from Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd., controlled by Dan Etete, a former oil minister, in 2011. Located in the deep offshore waters of the Gulf of Guinea, it is estimated to hold at least 9 billion barrels of crude reserves worth $1 trillion, according to a probe report by a House of Representatives committee filed as a public record and provided to Bloomberg yesterday. read more

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U.K. Regulators Reviewing Criminal Probe Over Oil Benchmarks

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Screen Shot 2013-07-15 at 16.05.05July 15, 2013: The U.K. antitrust regulator said it was reviewing whether there is enough evidence to start a criminal probe into manipulation of oil benchmarks while European Union officials conduct a civil investigation.

The U.K. Office of Fair Trading said it was working with prosecutors and regulators to determine which agency should take a lead role. The EU in May raided Platts, Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), BP Plc (BP/), and Statoil ASA (STL) as part of a civil investigation into the possible rigging of benchmark energy assessments. read more

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How BP Got Screwed on Gulf Oil Spill Claims

Screen Shot 2013-07-01 at 08.32.57INTRO BY JOHN DONOVAN: THIS BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK ARTICLE PROVIDES A CAUTIONARY TALE OF THE POTENTIAL BANKRUPTING CONSEQUENCES FOR A FOREIGN OWNED OIL COMPANY THAT MESSES UP SPECTACULARLY WHEN DRILLING IN US WATERS. ROYAL DUTCH SHELL SENIOR MANAGEMENT WAS WELL AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL DIRE CONSEQUENCES WHEN IT SENT AN ANTIQUATED ILL-PREPARED DRILLING FLEET INTO ALASKAN/ARCTIC WATERS, CULMINATING IN ANOTHER PR DISASTER, FORTUNATELY WITHOUT ANY FATALITIES. 

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By Paul M. Barrett: June 27, 2013

Until this year, Tampa attorney Kevin McLean specialized in suing nursing homes for neglecting patients. In January he switched the focus of his practice to a fund BP (BP) established to compensate business losses from the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In its attempt to dilute a legal and public-relations mess of epic proportions, BP began paying claims within weeks of the disaster and has so far spent more than $25 billion for cleanup and compensation. That hasn’t stemmed demands for more. The installation last year of a particularly generous claims administrator prompted scores of additional plaintiffs’ attorneys to swarm onto the scene, signing up a new wave of clients, many located far from the once-sullied shoreline. Just five months after his pivot, McLean’s three-attorney firm has 260 clients with claims ranging from $20,000 to $4 million apiece. “The craziest thing about the settlement,” he wrote in a solicitation letter, “is that you can be compensated for losses that are UNRELATED to the spill. 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 Benchmarks Go From Trusted to Tainted as EU Missed Warning

The European Union’s top energy official ignored a warning delivered in 2009 about potential manipulation of Platts oil benchmarks “because markets trusted” them. The warning went unheeded until May, when EU antitrust officials raided Platts, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP Plc, and Statoil ASA as part of an investigation into the possible rigging of benchmark energy assessments.

Screen Shot 2012-11-19 at 09.32.24 By Gaspard Sebag: June 30, 2013

The European Union’s top energy official ignored a warning delivered in 2009 about potential manipulation of Platts oil benchmarks “because markets trusted” them.

Andris Piebalgs, who was EU energy commissioner from 2004 to 2010, cited the confidence traders had in the pricing system when a lawmaker questioned the reliability of Platts’ prices more than three years ago. The warning went unheeded until May, when EU antitrust officials raided Platts, Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), BP Plc (BP/), and Statoil ASA (STL) as part of an investigation into the possible rigging of benchmark energy assessments. read more

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Shell to spend $3.9 billion in Nigeria

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June 21, 2013

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell PLC says it will spend $3.9 billion on investments in Nigeria, including an effort to strengthen the Trans-Niger Pipeline that was shut down this week after it was damaged in a theft attack.

In a statement Friday, the company said it plans to spend $1.5 billion on the pipeline, which carries 150,000 barrels of crude per day and is located in the eastern Niger Delta. Shell operates in Nigeria via a joint venture that is majority-owned by the country’s state oil company. read more

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Carbon Capture ‘Vital’ to Meet Climate Goals, Shell Adviser Says

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By Sally Bakewell June 18, 2013

Carbon capture and storage, a way of cutting emissions from industry by burying them underground, needs more state support for the European Union to meet clean-energy goals, a Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) adviser said.

“We’ve got to be clear that the EU’s climate goals in the long run cannot be met without clear policy intervention and that CCS is vital for the delivery of that,” Graeme Sweeney, who advises Shell on carbon-dioxide strategy, said by telephone. read more

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Pena Nieto Confident 75-Year Pemex Oil Monopoly to End This Year

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By Eric Martin, Carlos Manuel Rodriguez and Helder Marinho: June 18, 2013

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said he’s confident Congress will end the state oil monopoly this year, opening the way for companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) to tap the nation’s reserves.

In the model envisioned by Pena Nieto, state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos would develop some fields, while others are tapped by foreign and private companies. He declined to discuss more details of the proposal, or whether it would require a change in the constitution. 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.

New Oil Price Fixing Lawsuit Against Shell, BP and Statoil

BP Plc, Statoil and Royal Dutch Shell Plcwere named in a lawsuit accusing them of manipulating the price of North Sea Brent crude oil and futures contracts. Smith claimed the oil companies violated U.S. antitrust law and the Commodity Exchange Act. He is seeking unspecified damages, which may be tripled under antitrust law.

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BP, Shell, Statoil Sued Over Claim of Oil Price Manipulation

By Bob Van Voris: June 10, 2013

BP Plc (BP/), Statoil ASA and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) were named in a lawsuit accusing them of manipulating the price of North Sea Brent crude oil and futures contracts.

Gregory Smith, a Texas trader who claims he overpaid for Brent crude oil futures, sued the oil companies in Manhattan federal court today. Smith claimed the companies intentionally reported false prices to Platts, a division of McGraw Hill Financial Inc. (MHFI), which publishes benchmark prices for the oil industry. 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 That EU Says Mirrors Libor May Reveal Huge Damage

Oil-price manipulation may have wrought “huge” damage to consumers, the European Union’s antitrust chief said today, as he drew comparisons with EU investigations into rigging of bank rates including Libor.

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EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said, “If de facto the manipulation is confirmed, indeed, huge damages for consumers and users would have been originated by this.” Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

By Stephanie Bodoni May 28, 2013

Oil-price manipulation may have wrought “huge” damage to consumers, the European Union’s antitrust chief said today, as he drew comparisons with EU investigations into rigging of bank rates including Libor.

While it’s too soon to draw conclusions from the May 14 raids on Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), BP Plc (BP/), Statoil ASA (STL) and Platts, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said both sets of probe target price manipulation through a reporting system. read more

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BP, Shell, Statoil Face U.S. Lawsuit After EU Oil Price Probe

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By Brian Swint; May 24, 2013

The three oil producers under investigation by the European Commission for manipulating oil prices are being sued in a class-action lawsuit in the U.S.

BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and Statoil ASA (STL) “deliberately reported inaccurate, misleading and false information regarding Brent crude oil prices to Platts,” Prime International Trading Ltd., said in a complaint filed May 22 in federal court in New York.

Platts, a unit of McGraw Hill Financial Inc. (MHFI), was raided this month along with the three oil companies by EU officials looking for evidence of price manipulation. Platts calculates benchmarks that are used in transactions worldwide based on reports from oil companies that buy and sell crude. read more

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Collusion in reference prices for oil?

EXTRACTS: Oil market participants have called into question the accuracy of Platts’s benchmarks. In an August letter to the International Organization of Securities Commissions, Total Oil Trading, an arm of French oil company Total, said Platts’s prices are “out of line with our experience” several times a year. Spokesmen for BP, Shell, and Statoil declined to comment.

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Europe’s Oil Market Gets Its Own Price Benchmarks Scandal

By , , and : May 23 2013

Statoil (STO) sold a tanker of Norwegian crude valued at about $63 million to BP (BP) on May 9. That transaction, which wasn’t subject to any oversight by financial authorities, would help set the price of more than half the world’s oil. The deal was reported to Platts, a unit of McGraw Hill Financial (MHFI), which uses information from traders and others involved in the market to set benchmarks for oil and related products. Platts’s figures help determine the price refiners pay for crude, which in turn affects what consumers pay for gasoline and diesel fuel. 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 Start Iraq Oil Output Amid Plans for Saudi Investments

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By Maher Chmaytelli and Nayla Razzouk: May 16, 2013

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) will start producing crude at Iraq’s Majnoon oil field as early as next month and plans to increase energy investments in Saudi Arabia, its regional vice president said.

Output from Majnoon, one of Iraq’s largest oil fields, will start “around mid-year” and increase to 175,000 barrels a day by the end of 2013, Mounir Bouaziz said in an e-mailed response to questions. In Saudi Arabia, Shell is holding talks with officials on a project to develop natural gas from the kingdom’s Kidan field in the Rub al-Khali, or Empty Quarter, he said. read more

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Canary Wharf, Qatar Win Backing for London Shell Centre Project

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By Patrick Gower: May 13, 2013

Canary Wharf Group Plc and Qatar’s sovereign-wealth fund won planners’ support to build 877 homes and about 76,000 square meters (820,000 square feet) of offices at the site of Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s London headquarters on the banks of the River Thames.

Planning officials recommended that Lambeth Borough Council approve the project by Braeburn Estates Ltd., a joint venture between the Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Co. unit of the sovereign-wealth fund and Canary Wharf, the developer that controls the financial district of the same name, according to a filing published on the council’s website. read more

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Shell Starts World’s Largest Gas-Capturing Plant in Iraq

Screen Shot 2013-03-05 at 14.17.28 By Kadhim Ajrash & Nayla RazzoukMay 1, 2013 1:32 PM GMT+0100

Royal Dutch Shell Plc. (RDSA) and Mitsubishi Corp. (8058) started operations at a $17-billion joint venture to capture gas from some of Iraq’s largest oil fields.

The Basrah Gas Co. project, the biggest of its kind, captures so-called associated gas flared from the southern oil fields of Rumaila, West Qurna-1 and Zubair, according to a statement on Shell’s website. Iraq’s state-owned South Gas Co. holds a 51 percent stake in the 25-year venture, while Shell owns 44 percent and Mitsubishi the remainder. read more

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Shell Said to Name Pickard Head of Operations in Arctic Region

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By James Paton:April 29, 2013

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Europe’s largest oil company, plans to name Ann Pickard as head of its Arctic operations, moving her from the helm of the Australian business, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

Pickard, a former Shell executive in Nigeria who became chairwoman of Shell’s Australian business in 2010, is set to start in the new position on June 1, according to the person who asked not to be named because the details haven’t been made public. Andrew Smith, vice president of Shell’s refining and marketing business, will replace Pickard in Australia, the person said. read more

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Highest-Paid Workforce Driving Shell Offshore Australia: Energy

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s Prelude vessel, seen here in an image illustration, vying to be the first floating LNG facility in the world, will be as long as the Empire State Building and six times the weight of the largest aircraft carrier. Source: Rex Features via AP Images

April 26, 2013

Escalating costs to build liquefied natural gas plants on land in Australia, where energy workers earn the highest salaries in the world, are driving developers out to sea in search of billions of dollars in savings. read more

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Companies Shielded as U.S. Court Cuts Human-Rights Suits

Screen Shot 2012-11-30 at 18.51.08 By Greg Stohr on April 17, 2013

The U.S. Supreme Court insulated multinational corporations from at least some lawsuits over atrocities abroad, scaling back a favorite legal tool of human rights activists.

The justices threw out a suit accusing two foreign-based units of Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) of facilitating torture and execution in Nigeria. The majority said the 1789 Alien Tort Statute generally doesn’t apply to conduct beyond U.S. borders.

In the Shell case, “all the relevant conduct took place outside the United States,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court. The justices were unanimous on the outcome in the Shell case, while dividing in their reasoning. read more

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Shell, Mitsubishi Will Start Iraq Plant on April 15

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By Khalid Al-Ansary and Nayla Razzouk on April 11, 2013

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and Mitsubishi Corp. (8058) will start capturing gas from Iraq’s oil fields next week in a $17 billion project known as Basra Gas Co.

“Basra Gas Co. will start operations officially on April 15,” said Ali Hussain Khudayir, director general of South Gas Co., which represents the Iraqi government’s controlling stake in the Basra Gas Co. venture.

The plant will produce 400 million cubic feet (11 million cubic meters) a day from next week, climbing to 2 billion cubic feet a day by 2017, Khudayir said on March 27. The facility will capture so-called associated gas from the Zubair, Majnoon and West Qurna-1 oil fields in southern Iraq. read more

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Nigerian Oil Thieves Return to Decimate Output

Screen Shot 2013-03-05 at 14.17.28 By Elisha Bala-Gbogbo on March 05, 2013

Nigeria’s oil thieves are back in action, sabotaging pipelines to rob Africa’s biggest crude producer of more than a 10th of its daily production.

In the first two months of this year alone, Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and other oil companies have declared three force majeures, a legal clause that allows them to miss contracted deliveries due to circumstances beyond their control. The thefts threaten to outpace the worst year, 2009, at the height of the insurgency by militants in the Niger River Delta. read more

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Verdict on Royal Dutch Shell CFO Simon Henry

Shell internal email correspondence irrefutably proves that Simon Henry was aware in March 2002 that “reserves bookings were made that should not have been made”. Walter van de Vijver, the “sick and tired” Chief Executive of Shell EP, gave the information directly to him. As can be seen in the email, Walter van de Vijver aggressively accused Mr Henry of setting targets that were near impossible to achieve. The question arises of whether Mr Henry was a culprit, an accomplice, or an innocent bystander.

By John Donovan

INTRODUCTION

We have published a series of articles about the starring role of Simon Henry in the Royal Dutch Shell reserves scandal.

Shell internal email correspondence irrefutably proves that Simon Henry was aware in March 2002 that “reserves bookings were made that should not have been made”. Walter van de Vijver, the “sick and tired” Chief Executive of Shell EP, gave the information directly to him. Walter van de Vijver accused Mr Henry of setting targets that were near impossible to achieve. read more

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Rig Grounding Revives Debate Over Shell’s Arctic Drilling

By Jim Efstathiou Jr. – Jan 3, 2013 6:01 PM GMT

This week’s grounding of a rig off the coast of Alaska adds to a series of mishaps in Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)’s seven-year quest to tap the vast oil reserves of the Arctic and emboldened critics who say it can’t be done safely.

The drill ship Kulluk broke free of a tow boat in a storm Dec. 31 and remained upright though stranded last night on the coast of Sitkalidak Island, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of the town of Kodiak. The crew was evacuated and there were no signs the vessel was leaking diesel or drilling chemicals it carried, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. read more

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Shell Says Arctic Drilling Rig Kulluk Recaptured in Stormy Seas

By Jim Polson – Dec 30, 2012 7:05 PM GMT

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) said an Arctic drilling barge, headed to Seattle for maintenance, was safely recovered yesterday after being set adrift during a storm in the Gulf of Alaska.

Crew of the Shell-owned barge, Kulluk, were evacuated last night as a precaution after towing resumed, said Curtis Smith, an Alaska-based Shell spokesman, in a telephone interview today. The offshore tug Aiviq recovered the Kulluk.

Shell has invested $4.5 billion in offshore leases and equipment and fought at least 50 lawsuits from environmental groups to begin drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas this year, the first wells in U.S. Arctic waters in about 20 years. The Kulluk was in need of maintenance after starting a well in the Beaufort Sea, Smith said. read more

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Shell Invests $26 Million in GlassPoint to Get Heavy Crude Deals

By Wael Mahdi – Dec 11, 2012 8:00 AM GMT

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) invested $26 million in GlassPoint Solar Inc. to help it secure contracts in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman to extract dense crude using steam produced from a solar plant, the California-based company said in a statement.

GlassPoint runs a 7-megawatt, four-acre (16,187-square meter) system in Oman that is deploying enhanced oil recovery, or EOR, technology, to inject steam into oilfields to loosen deposits.

“Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain have plans to increase their production capacity through freeing heavy crude oil deposits,” GlassPoint Chief Executive Officer Rod Macgregor said yesterday in a telephone interview. “Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are getting there too, so it’s becoming the mainstream in the future.” 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 Spills Ethylene During Pipeline Failure, NRC Filing Shows

By Christian Schmollinger on December 06, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) spilled an unknown amount of ethylene from a 12-inch pipeline in Iowa, Louisiana, after a gasket failure, according to a filing with the U.S. National Response Center. The release at 5 p.m. local time yesterday wasn’t secured and a fire crew was en route to the site, the filing showed.

U.S. companies must notify the response center if they release hazardous substances in excess of reportable quantities, according to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as Superfund. Bloomberg News couldn’t immediately verify that the information in the NRC filing was accurate. read more

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Shell Shifts Gas Business to Singapore on Asia Demand Growth

By Eduard Gismatullin and Winnie Zhu on December 05, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Europe’s biggest oil producer, plans to move its natural-gas business to Singapore from The Hague in response to growing demand for liquefied natural gas in Asia.

“We see the major gas trading, the growth of the gas market, the growth of the integrated gas business will be Asia- based,” Andy Brown, upstream director at Shell, said today in London. “The LNG business is going to be in the Far East, and Singapore is a central part of the Far East trade.”

Asian demand for LNG, which is gas cooled to a liquid for transport by tanker, has grown as China feeds its booming economy and cuts reliance on coal for power generation. Japan has also increased purchases since shutting almost all its nuclear capacity following the Fukushima reactor disaster, while consumption in Europe is weakening as economic growth slows. 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.

Nigeria Holds Talks With Shell, Exxon to Agree on Oil-Tax Reform

By Elisha Bala-Gbogbo on December 04, 2012

Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer, said it’s in talks with Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and other energy companies to reach an agreement on tax demands proposed in draft legislation.

“There’s always the intent to try and strike a balance, particularly from the side of government,” Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke said today at a conference in Abuja. “There seemed to be such disparity in terms of where we stood on the fiscals.”

The Petroleum Industry Bill, or PIB, is aimed at increasing the country’s share of profits from oil pumped off its shores. The government claims that extraction laws going back to 1993 are based on crude at $20 a barrel and unrealistic at prices that are now more than four times as high. The energy companies have warned Nigeria against driving away 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.

Shell to Offer More LNG to Power Ships, Trucks on Cheap U.S. Gas

By Eduard Gismatullin on December 03, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) is expanding plans to make liquefied natural gas a fuel for ships and trucks as Europe’s largest energy producer looks to profit from the cheapness of U.S. gas compared with oil.

Shell, where gas production overtook oil for the first time this year, will increase LNG-for-transport projects to more than 5 million tons a year, said Shell Chief Financial Officer Simon Henry. That’s equivalent to about 120,000 barrels of oil a day, or 4 percent of the company’s global production in the third quarter. Shell will offer about half the volume to the trucking industry in Canada and the U.S. and the rest to shipping in the Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico and the Baltic Sea. read more

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Nigeria Bill Risks Output in Top African Oil Country, Shell Says

By Elisha Bala-Gbogbo on November 30, 2012

Nigerian plans to change the way its oil industry is regulated and funded risk cutting investment and production in Africa’s top producer, Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) said.

“Production will be down about 40 percent by 2020 without new investment,” Mutiu Sunmonu, Shell’s chairman for Nigeria, said in the copy of a conference presentation in the commercial capital of Lagos. The proposed “fiscal package is not conducive to investment. As a result, there will be few new investments.” read more

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BP Seen as Takeover Target as Valuation Sinks

By Brian Swint and Matthew Campbell on November 19, 2012

Bob Dudley shrank BP Plc (BP/) to save it.

The onetime Mississippian and current chief executive officer has sold more than $50 billion of assets to pay the costs of the worst U.S. oil spill in history in 2010. Rescued from the brink of collapse, Europe’s second-largest oil company is now seen as vulnerable to a takeover.

BP is the cheapest of the world’s five biggest non-state oil companies by market value relative to reserves, earnings and output. As a result it may become a target, according to people familiar with the strategic thinking of the London-based company and its potential acquirers. read more

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Shell, EDF Lead 100 Companies Calling for Carbon Price

By Alex Morales on November 18, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) joined Electricite de France SA and more than 100 companies calling for lawmakers worldwide to put a “clear” price on carbon emissions in order to contain global warming.

Companies invest trillions of dollars in energy and infrastructure projects, and, in most cases, don’t consider goals to cut greenhouse gases, the companies said today in a statement that’s due to be presented to European Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard in Brussels.

“A clear, stable, ambitious and cost-effective policy framework is essential to underpin the investment needed to deliver substantial greenhouse gas emissions reductions by mid- century,” the companies said in the e-mailed statement. “Putting a clear, transparent and unambiguous price on carbon emissions must be a core policy objective.” read more

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Shell to Start Chinese Shale Gas Project Development From 2014

By Eduard Gismatullin on November 15, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Europe’s largest oil company, said its shale gas project in China will require billions of dollars in investment from 2014 before it can supply the domestic market.

Along with China National Petroleum Corp., Shell plans to take a final investment decision by the end of next year after carrying out exploration work at the Fushun-Yongchuan block in the Sichuan basin. The partners have so far drilled 24 wells and plan a further 14 next year, said Maarten Wetselaar, executive vice president of Shell Upstream International. read more

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Selection of Shell related articles Tuesday 13 November 2012

Selection of Shell related articles Tuesday 13 November 2012

John,

A few articles which may be of interest to your visitors:

Shell’s Arctic challenges just beginning: Anchorage Daily News-6 hours ago: Shell Oil photoThe Noble Discoverer prepares for its initial Chukchi Sea … BARROW — Even if Shell strikes oil in the Beaufort and Chukchi …

Shell Bets on a Colossal Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Factory Off …: New York Times-14 hours ago: The thought was that they could be built and financed by third parties and rented out to oil companies. But the creation that Shell is finally … read more

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Shell Says $450 Billion in U.S. LNG Exports Is ‘Optimistic’

By Eduard Gismatullin on November 01, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) Chief Financial Officer Simon Henry said total pledges from the energy industry to invest $350 billion to $450 billion in projects for U.S. liquefied natural gas exports are “a little bit optimistic.”

Shell, the largest LNG supplier, has held exclusive talks to take a stake in the Freeport LNG project. The producer faces rival projects led by companies including Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), Cheniere Energy Inc. (LNG), Sempra Energy (SRE) and BG Group Plc. (BG/)

“If that’s all going to happen without inflation and with the support of the American people to export all that American gas to industrial competitors and it’s all going to happen by 2020, I think it’s a little bit optimistic,” Henry told reporters today on a conference call. “Today’s headlines usually become tomorrow’s challenged projects.” read more

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Shell Profit Increases on Income From Liquefied Natural Gas

A technician compares samples of lubricant oil in the control laboratory at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s new lubricants blending plant in Torzhok, Russia. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg

By Eduard Gismatullin on November 01, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)’s third-quarter profit expanded 2.3 percent after Europe’s biggest oil company generated increased earnings from liquefied natural gas.

Net income rose to $7.14 billion from $6.98 billion a year earlier, Shell said today in a statement. Excluding one-time items and inventory changes, profit was $6.6 billion, beating the $6.3 billion average estimate of 13 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Earnings “benefited from the increased contribution from integrated gas, which included an additional dividend from an LNG venture,” said Shell, based in The Hague. LNG sales gained 4 percent to 4.97 million metric tons from a year ago, mainly reflecting the contribution from the Pluto project in Australia. read more

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Shell ends 2012 Arctic Ocean drilling off Alaska

AP News By Dan Joling on October 31, 2012

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell PLC has concluded drilling for the season in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska’s northwest and north coast.

Shell Alaska spokesman Curtis Smith says the company completed one top hole in both the Chukchi (chuck-CHEE’) and Beaufort (BO-fort) seas.

Top holes are the foundation of an exploratory well. They consist of 20-foot in diameter mud-line cellar dug 40 feet into the sea floor to provide protection from ice for a blowout preventer, plus a hole drilled to about 1,500 feet. read more

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Chevron, BP Price-Fixing Case Referred to South Africa Tribunal

By Paul Burkhardt on October 24, 2012

South Africa’s Competition Commission has recommended the maximum penalty in a price-fixing case spanning decades that involves six companies including Chevron Corp. (CVX), Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and Total SA. (FP)

The regulator, which has referred the matter to the Competition Tribunal for adjudication, wants the companies to be fined 10 percent of their revenues in the preceding financial year, it said in a statement today.

The investigation “revealed collusive conduct through extensive exchanges of commercially sensitive information by the respondent oil companies,” which also include Engen (ENGN) Ltd., Sasol Ltd. (SOL), BP SA and the South African Petroleum Industry Association, or Sapia, the Pretoria-based commission said. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell makes Nigeria production warning

By Jon Gambrell on October 23, 2012

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell PLC warned Tuesday that it won’t be able to make its estimated production for two types of oil pumped from Nigeria, largely blaming attacks on its pipelines by thieves wanting to steal crude.

Shell said in a statement it had declared a “force majeure” warning Friday for shipments of its Bonny and Forcados crude oil — meaning it is impossible for the company to cover the promised supply from the field. Those two types of crude represent a major chunk of the oil produced in Nigeria by Shell, long the dominant foreign oil company in the West African nation. read more

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Activists send fake email to Shell workers

Posted on October 02, 2012

HOUSTON (AP) — Two activist groups said Tuesday they sent an email to more than 71,000 Shell Oil employees that pretended to be from a fake company division and provided information about a U.S. Supreme Court case involving the company.

The groups, People Against Legalizing Murder and the Yes Lab, said that on Monday they sent the email that purported to be from Shell’s “Grassroots Employee Empowerment Division,” which doesn’t exist.

Business interests argue they are being subjected to claims over the bad behavior of foreign regimes, which are shielded from lawsuits here under U.S. law. read more

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Human-Rights Suits May Be Limited in Top Court Shell Case

By Greg Stohr on October 01, 2012

U.S. Supreme Court justices suggested they will shield companies from some suits alleging complicity in overseas atrocities, as the court debated how far to go in scaling back a favorite legal tool of human-rights advocates.

During arguments in Washington on accusations that two foreign-based units of Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) facilitated torture and execution in Nigeria, the justices today questioned whether American courtrooms were the proper site for such claims. The case centers on the two-century-old Alien Tort Statute. read more

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Transocean gets $7.6B deal with Shell for rigs

Posted on September 28, 2012

HOUSTON (AP) — Transocean Ltd. said Friday that Royal Dutch Shell has entered into 10-year contracts worth $7.6 billion for four ships that will be used to drill for oil in deep water.

The estimated revenue backlog doesn’t include costs of putting the ships in service. Transocean said investment for the rigs will be about $3 billion excluding interest.

Transocean said the first of the ships is expected to be delivered in mid-2015 with the others following every six months. They will be built in South Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. read more

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Shell’s cartel fine cut to 81 million euros ($104.2 million)

Shell Wins 25% Cut in Bitumen Cartel Fine, Total Loses Bid

By Stephanie Bodoni on September 27, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) won a 25 percent reduction in a fine for its role in a bitumen industry cartel, while other members including Total SA (FP) and Royal BAM Group NV lost their appeals at a European Union court.

Shell’s fine was cut to 81 million euros ($104.2 million) from 108 million euros because antitrust regulators failed to show that the company “played the role of instigator and leader in the infringement,” the EU General Court ruled today. read more

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Iraq Says Shell Denies Talks With Kurds on Energy Projects

By Kadhim Ajrash on September 26, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) said it isn’t in talks with authorities in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region about energy projects in the northern area, a government spokesman said.

Hans Nijkamp, Shell’s country chairman for Iraq, spoke during a meeting with the deputy prime minister for energy affairs, Hussain al-Shahristani, today in Baghdad, Faisal Abdullah, Shahristani’s spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kadhim Ajrash in Baghdad at [email protected] read more

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U.K. Lawmakers Call for Moratorium on Arctic Oil & Gas Drilling

By Alex Morales on September 19, 2012

Oil and gas companies including Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and Cairn Energy Plc (CNE) should be prevented from drilling in the Arctic until rigorous environmental regulations are in place, a panel of U.K. lawmakers said.

Oil spill response techniques haven’t been proven to work in Arctic conditions, the multiparty Environmental Audit Committee said today in an e-mailed report. It proposed a halt to drilling until stronger safeguards are in place in an effort to avoid leaks on the scale of BP Plc (BP/)’s Macondo disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. read more

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Shell Leads LNG Competitors Out to Sea With Biggest Ship: Energy

By Eduard Gismatullin and James Paton on September 19, 2012

For more than a decade, the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas producers led by Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) plotted how to move their $170 billion industry onto barges at sea to tap remote fields. Now they’re finally doing it.

Shell will forge the hull of a floating LNG plant in South Korea by year-end that will be the world’s largest vessel, weighing six times the biggest aircraft carrier, a Nimitz-class warship. Some 5,000 workers will build the factory to produce LNG off Australia’s northwest coast in a $13 billion project that also will shield Shell from escalating costs it would have to pay at the country’s onshore plants. read more

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Shell Drawn by Auction for $5 Trillion of Oil

By Peter Millard, Rodrigo Orihuela and Juan Pablo Spinetto on September 19, 2012

Brazil’s first auction of oil licenses since 2008 is expected to lure companies from Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) to startup Niko Resources Ltd. (NKO) as producers seek to tap fields holding a third of the world’s new discoveries.

President Dilma Rousseff this week approved the plan to auction oil exploration areas as soon as May, including deep- water fields where Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4) made the world’s largest oil finds in more than a decade. Round 11, as the auction is being called, will include 174 blocks on shore and off Brazil’s northeastern coast. read more

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Ukraine to Potentially Triple Shale Output in Decade, Shell Says

By Kateryna Choursina and Daryna Krasnolutska on September 19, 2012

Ukraine could potentially double or even triple natural-gas production in a decade after it starts shale extraction, according to Royal Dutch Shell Plc. (RDSA)

Shell, which won a license in May to start commercial production at the Yuzivska field in eastern Ukraine, has submitted a draft product-sharing agreement to the Ukrainian government, said Graham Tiley, its country chairman.

Europe’s biggest energy producer is waiting for initial test results to assess how fast the deposit can be tapped, Tiley said in an interview last week. read more

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APNEWSBREAK: Shell halts Chukchi Sea drilling

By Dan Joling on September 10, 2012

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell on Monday was moving its drill ship off a prospect in the Chukchi Sea, a day after drilling began 70 miles off the Alaska coast because sea ice was moving toward the vessel.

Shell Alaska spokesman Curtis Smith tells The Associated Press that drilling was stopped for safety reasons.

“As a precautionary measure and in accordance with our approved Chukchi Sea Ice Management Plan, Shell has made the decision to temporarily move off the Burger-A well to avoid potentially encroaching sea ice,” he said by email. “Once the ice moves on, the Noble Discoverer will re-connect to anchors and continue drilling.” read more

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