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August 28th, 2006:

Associated Press: Shell Halts Pipeline Project in Russia

Monday August 28, 9:38 am ET 

Shell PLC Halts Section of Pipeline Construction at Russian LNG Project

MOSCOW (AP) — A consortium led by Royal Dutch Shell PLC has suspended pipe-laying work at a section of its giant liquefied natural gas project on Russia’s far eastern island of Sakhalin because of substandard construction work, a spokesman for the consortium said Monday.
 
Ivan Chernikovsky said work had been halted on oil and gas pipelines that traverse a mudslide-prone mountainous area due the company’s concerns that subcontractors’ work did not meet the necessary construction standards. He said the halt would not push back the project’s completion date. 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.

Independent Online.za: Nigeria’s oil hub: It’s like the Wild West with AK-47s’

By Katherine Houreld

Port Harcourt – Foreign workers in Nigeria’s oil hub carpool with rifle-toting police officers on their morning commute. A night on the town can turn into a run from gunfire. And placemats at a popular bar advise:”Eat a lot. Fat people are harder to kidnap.”

Amid a rash of hostage-takings in the nation’s violence-plagued south – including a daring raid on a nightclub in the centre of town – even some of Port Harcourt’s most hardened oilmen are nervous. 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.

kommersant (Moscow): Sakhalin Energy Suspends Construction

Sakhalin Energy that is the subsidiary of British-Dutch Shell and the Sakhalin-2 operator has suspended construction of some of the ground-surface pipelines. The official reason is that the company itself revealed violation of technical provisions. But more likely than not, it is the response to Federal Service for Natural Resources Supervision that harbors doubts about ecological safety of the project and which claims could be used by Gazprom to get 25 percent in Sakhalin Energy.

Sakhalin Energy representatives said the company suspended construction of two ground-surface pipelines in the dangerous landslide area of Makarovsky uplift of the Sakhalin Island, as the recent inspection revealed some cases of technical provisions’ violation by the subcontractor. The dates of the project won’t be affected, they pointed out. 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.

Planet Ark: ANALYSIS – Biofuel Rush Risks Gasoline Hike, Forest Damage

Reuters
UK: August 28, 2006

LONDON – Biofuels can both bring down high pump prices and help halt climate change, their supporters hope. 

But the result of the global boom in the green fuel additive may just have precisely the opposite effects in the near-term, according to both oil company executives and green campaigners.

The higher cost of the new fuel will end up being passed down to drivers by the oil industry, and the rush to plant more biofuel crops could result in burning swathes of virgin forest cleared for cultivation, speeding up global warming. 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 Economist: Kidnap insurance: A king’s ransom

EXTRACT: Oil giants that operate in the Niger Delta, including Royal Dutch Shell, are reconsidering staffing levels. An oil workers’ union is threatening to pull members out after a botched attempt on August 20th to rescue a Nigerian Shell employee who had been seized.

THE ARTICLE

Insuring against kidnap and extortion is a growth industry

August 25, 2006

THE kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh’s infant son from his nursery riveted America and the world in 1932. Mr Lindbergh’s celebrity as an aviator prompted police and the FBI to conduct a big investigation and a ransom was ultimately paid. Sadly, the baby was later found dead, buried in the woods of New Jersey. As well as leaving a lingering imprint on the American psyche, the Lindbergh kidnapping has had a lasting affect on the global insurance industry. After the abduction, Lloyd’s of London began selling some clients kidnap and ransom insurance. 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 & Gas Energy Information: Shell Issues Formal Proposal to Expand Athabasca Oil Sands Project

Monday, August 28, 2006

Royal Dutch Shell plc said that it welcomes Shell Canada’s formal proposal to expand the Athabasca Oil Sands Project.

Shell Canada Limited announced that it has issued a formal proposal to proceed with Expansion 1 to the other Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP) joint venture owners. They have 90 days to respond.

“We have received our Board’s support to take the next step on this important growth project,” said Clive Mather, president and CEO of Shell Canada Limited. “Issuing this proposal to the other owners is a key milestone in our strategy to grow mining production from the Athabasca region to 550,000 barrels per day (bpd).” Shell’s share of this production is 330,000 bpd. 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.

Duluth News Tribune: Hot fuel fix gets cold shoulder from oil industry

ENERGY:An industry group says the cost to change pumps is an “undue burden” not worth the “negligible” benefit to customers.

BY STEVE EVERLY
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

OAHU, Hawaii – Idyllic weather, pounding surf and a warm, welcoming culture help make Hawaii unique in this nation.

So does its gallon of gas.

The Hawaiian gallon contains nearly 234 cubic inches of fuel — about 3 cubic inches more than is dispensed in the rest of the United States.

The extra volume, required by state law, helps offset the higher temperatures in this tropical climate, which cause the gasoline to expand. If the gallon weren’t adjusted for temperature, Hawaiians would receive less energy per gallon than called for under the government standard. That’s because for nearly a century, gasoline and diesel have been measured across America as if they were being dispensed at a temperature of 60 degrees — a more condensed gallon of 231 cubic inches. read more

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

Bloomberg: Crude Oil Falls on Signs Storm May Miss Gulf Production Areas

By Tom Cahill and Gavin Evans

Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) — Crude oil snapped a two-day advance on signs a Caribbean tropical storm won’t pack the same punch as Hurricane Katrina, which ripped into Gulf of Mexico platforms and refineries a year ago today.

Tropical storm Ernesto weakened as it swept over Haiti yesterday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said yesterday in an advisory at 11 p.m. New York time. Ernesto is expected to regain strength and speed as it moves toward Cuba and Florida, where hurricane warnings are in effect. The storm carried winds of about 50 miles per hour, just over a third of Katrina’s 140 miles per hour winds. 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: Price of Crude Convinces the U.S. Oil Shale Is Now Worth Pursuing

By MATT CHAMBERS
August 28, 2006; Page C3

Driven by a growing desire to lower dependence on foreign oil, the U.S. is set to help two of the world’s biggest energy companies seeking to extract oil from stone in the Rocky Mountains — a venture that previously has been polluting and prohibitively expensive.

The prize for success for energy majors Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Chevron Corp. is commercial access to U.S. oil-shale resources, which the Bureau of Land Management says could total more than twice Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves. read more

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The Cornell Daily Sun (Cornell University): Another Oil War

Brutal Honesty
By Jeff Purcell
Aug 27 2006

Some argue that the Estados Unidos and the U.K. overthrew Saddam Hussein because his regime sat on top of one of the world’s largest reserves of petroleum. Looking at Nigeria’s experience with guns and gas can help us understand the idea of going to war for oil.

If we multiplied the price of crude oil by Nigeria’s estimated reserves, the country should be one of the richest in the world. Oil makes up over 95 percent of the country’s exports, and provides over 60 percent of the country’s budget. The most populous country in Africa has enough oil under its southern and eastern delta for its citizens to enjoy free schools, health care and basic services. But for that to happen, Nigerians would have to share in the benefits of Nigeria’s wealth. And for over a century, that prospect has been assiduously and violently avoided. read more

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

BBC Monitoring Service: Summary of Russian press for Monday 28 Aug 06

Published: Aug 28, 2006

3. Denis Rebrov article saying that Sakhalin Energy, the Shell subsidiary implementing the Sakhalin-2 offshore oil and gas project, has suspended construction of part of the project’s onshore pipelines. This is likely a response to the Russian environmental regulator, Rosprirodnadzor, claims concerning the environmental safety of the project. The regulator’s claims may be being used as an argument in Shell’s negotiations with Gazprom, which wants a 25-per-cent stake in Sakhalin Energy; p 1. 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: BP chief faces court appearance

By Sheila McNulty in Houston

A Texas judge is to decide on Monday whether to compel Lord Browne, BP’s chief executive, to be formally questioned before a court to decide claims against the UK oil giant arising from last year’s fatal refinery explosion.

BP has refused a request by the plaintiff’s attorney, Brent Coon, to question Lord Browne, forcing the decision into the court’s hands.

“We are opposing the request because Lord Browne has no unique knowledge of the incident that is not available from other people within BP,’’ a spokesman for BP said. “The head of BP’s worldwide refining operations has participated in the discovery process,” referring to the questioning of potential witnesses ahead of a US trial. 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.

Peninsula On-line, Qatar: No plan to raise Showa stake: Saudi Aramco

Web posted at: 8/28/2006 2:6:3
Source ::: Agencies

RIYADH • Saudi Aramco said yesterday it had no plan to raise its holdings in Showa ShellSekiyu KK, Japan’s fifth-largest refiner, after Saudi state media reported that Aramco would buy a strategic stake. “There are no new developments in the Showa Shell joint venture,” a spokesman at state-run Aramco said. Aramco already owns a 15 per cent stake in Showa Shell.

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 Edge Daily, Malaysia: Biomass, cellulose waste — fuels of the future: Shell M’sia

By Alfean Hardy

Shell Malaysia sees the Malaysian government’s stance on biofuels as a move in the right direction but does not see the use of crude palm oil as a viable feedstock for biodiesel in the long term, its chairman Saw Choo Boon said.

“We support biodiesel and the government’s move on biodiesel and we will do whatever the government wants to do to promote biofuels. Having said that, our Shell group’s stand on biofuels is that we are looking more into the long term.

“Our belief is biofuels made from food sources are not sustainable in the longer term because they compete with the food chain. We believe biofuels made from cellulose waste and biomass are the fuels of the future,” he told Financial Daily recently. read more

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Reuters: Shell halts Sakhalin Energy pipeline work – paper

Mon Aug 28, 2006 1:03am ET

MOSCOW, Aug 28 (Reuters) – The Shell-led (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research) Sakhalin Energy project on the Russian island of Sakhalin has stopped work on building two onshore pipelines after criticism in an environmental report, Kommersant newspaper said on Monday.

Kommersant said the $20 billion project had stopped building a gas pipeline and an oil pipeline on the 1,572 km (977-mile) route between its field and its liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant and oil export terminal on the south of the island. 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.