Royal Dutch Shell Group .com Rotating Header Image

January 16th, 2007:

The Times: A lack of accountability is at the heart of BP’s guilt: ‘a cowboy outfit’

January 17, 2007

On March 23, 2005, 15 people went to work at BP’s refinery at Texas City. They did not come home. They were killed by a huge explosion, perhaps the worst accident in an American workplace in the past 20 years.

The Baker report will fail to satisfy the families of those victims and the 170 other people that were injured in the disaster. The 374-page report, infuriatingly, offers no meaningful explanation of what actually happened at Texas City. 
 
James Baker, the former Secretary of State, and his panel, set out to judge the safety culture of BP, not to apportion blame. This is partly because others have been tasked with that job and partly, one suspects, because BP is seeking to contain, rather than encourage litigation. read more

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

The Times: BP explosion: the Baker report

EXTRACT: Two men died on Shell’s Brent Bravo platform in 2003, overcome by a gas escape as they inspected a botched pipe repair. A Shell safety auditor in 1999 had recommended shutting down the platform. At the time, however, Brent Bravo was supplying a quarter of Britain’s gas.

January 17, 2007

Cutting costs for energy yields a grim catalogue
Carl Mortished: Analysis

 
Take a flammable liquid, boil it up in a tin can to extreme temperatures and add a catalyst or two to speed things up. Then step back and see what happens. read more

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

The Guardian (UK): Few bright prospects after the Sun King

Nils Pratley
Wednesday January 17, 2007

The passage where Lord Browne will have felt the twist of the knife is on page 67 of the Baker report, just after the authors note that BP’s chief executive was named by the Financial Times as the fifth most respected leader in the business world.

“Browne’s passion and commitment for [addressing] climate change is particularly apparent,” it says. “In hindsight, the panel believes that if Browne had demonstrated comparable leadership and commitment to process safety, that leadership and commitment would likely have resulted in a higher level of process safety performance in BP’s US refineries.” 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.

News24.com: 12 chiefs dead Nigeria clashes

16/01/2007 22:23  – (SA)    

Port Harcourt – Royal Dutch Shell evacuated staff from two oil installations in southern Nigeria and the military boosted troop levels in the volatile area on Tuesday after community clashes left a dozen chiefs dead, said officials.

Bisi Ojediran, a spokesperson for Shell PLC, said only a skeleton crew remained at the two evacuated pipeline hubs in the Niger Delta region, a vast area of mangrove swamps, where all of the crude in Africa’s largest producer was pumped. 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 ONLINE: Oil News Roundup: January 16, 2007 4:44 p.m.

Crude-oil futures tumbled more than 3% to $51.21 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after Saudi Arabia’s oil minister said major oil producers need not cut production further, disappointing hopes that OPEC would intervene to prop up prices.

Here is Monday’s roundup of oil and energy news:

BP’S DILEMMA: BP is scrambling to minimize the damage from a critical independent safety review of its U.S. operations, promising to embrace a number of sweeping changes at its American oil refineries, including engaging an independent body to monitor safety practices at the company. An 11-member panel led by former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III sharply criticized practices at BP’s American refineries, saying the company lacked strong leadership on safety. The panel said it found significant problems at BP’s five U.S. refineries, which BP commissioned the panel to assess after an explosion at its plant in Texas City, Texas, killed 15 workers in March 2005. 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.

Ireland.com: Court told Shell ‘let men stay in jail’

Last Updated: 16/01/2007  17:24

Shell E&P Ireland allowed five men languish in prison for several weeks after the company had agreed to cease work on its controversial onshore gas pipeline pending the outcome of a safety review by the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, the High Court has heard.

The court was told it had emerged from documents that Shell had agreed with the Minister in early July 2005 to stop work on the pipeline pending compliance issues and the outcome of the safety review. 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: Baker report on BP published

Published: January 16 2007 12:14 | Last updated: January 16 2007 15:23

The Baker report into BP’s safety standards in the US is now out. BP says it will implement the report’s recommendations. The report runs to 374 pages, so we’re still going through it. Here are some highlights so far:

“The Panel believes that BP has not provided effective process safety leadership and has not adequately established process safety as a core value across all its five U.S. refineries. While BP has an aspirational goal of “no accidents, no harm to people,” BP has not provided effective leadership in making certain its management and U.S. refining workforce understand what is expected of them regarding process safety performance.” 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’s safety failures are not yet resolved

Published: January 16 2007 18:26 | Last updated: January 16 2007 18:26

Another month, another Baker report. December’s report from the Iraq Study Group, co-chaired by James A. Baker III, former US secretary of state, has been largely ignored by America’s president. But the management of BP, the oil giant, must not ignore Tuesday’s report from a panel chaired by Mr Baker into the safety and management of the company’s US operations.

The independent panel was formed on the recommendation of a safety watchdog investigating the explosions at BP’s Texas City refinery, which killed 15 workers and injured 500 more in March 2005. The panel looked at safety culture across BP Products North America, not just at Texas City, reflecting other accidents, including some at BP’s Alaskan operations. 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: Baker report: Key findings: Edited extracts of the main findings of the Baker report into the safety of BP’s US plants

Published: January 16 2007 15:33 | Last updated: January 16 2007 17:51

CORPORATE SAFETY CULTURE:

Process safety leadership: The Panel believes that BP has not provided effective process safety leadership and has not adequately established process safety as a core value across all its five US refineries.

While BP has an aspirational goal of “no accidents, no harm to people,” BP has not provided effective leadership in making certain its management and US refining workforce understand what is expected of them regarding process safety performance. 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.

UpstreamOnline: Gazprom budget favours equity deals

EXTRACT: Besides a stake in Gazpromneft, Gazprom will this year have to fund the purchase of a 50% stake in the Sakhalin 2 oil and gas venture from Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell and its Japanese partners for $7.45 billion.

THE ARTICLE

By Upstream staff

Russian Gazprom’s state-controlled board has approved an 11% rise in the company’s capital expenditure in 2007, while financial investment will soar by a quarter, the gas monopoly said today.

The move comes as minority investors criticise Gazprom for not investing enough in gas production amid stagnant output from mature fields in Siberia and for spending too much on buying into rival companies to strengthen the state’s grip over the 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.

CBS News: Nigeria Clashes Leave a Dozen Dead

Nigeria clashes leave a dozen dead, prompt oil staff evacuation, troop rise
 
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, Jan. 16, 2007
DAN UDOH Associated Press Writer

(AP) Royal Dutch Shell evacuated staff from two oil installations in southern Nigeria and the military boosted troop levels in the volatile area Tuesday after community clashes left a dozen community chiefs dead, officials said.

Bisi Ojediran, a spokesman for Shell PLC, said only a skeleton crew remained at the two evacuated pipeline hubs in the Niger Delta region, a vast area of mangrove swamps where all of the crude in Africa’s largest producer is pumped. 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: Chevron, Shell Delay LNG Projects, Sending Gas Higher (Update2)

By Angela Macdonald-Smith
Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) — Chevron Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc are delaying construction projects from Australia to Nigeria, threatening to drive natural gas prices higher for years to come.
None of the world’s biggest energy companies approved developments last year to increase production of liquefied natural gas, which helps heat homes and run power plants from Tokyo to Boston. The main reason is the cost to build LNG plants has tripled in six years, according to Bechtel Group Inc., the biggest U.S. contractor.
Natural gas prices are three times higher than during the 1990s and consumption of the fuel will outpace the 1.6 percent annual gain in energy demand for the next 25 years, according to the International Energy Agency. Gas is also becoming more popular because it emits 29 percent less carbon dioxide than oil and 45 percent less than coal burned in power stations.
“Costs are going up and they’re going up far faster than anybody expected,” said Andy Flower, a U.K.-based consultant to the LNG industry and a former BP Plc executive. He forecasts that the world LNG shortage will last until at least 2011.
Natural gas in New York soared from an average $2 per million British thermal units in the 1990s because consumption increased, oil costs rose and domestic supplies diminished. U.S. gas production peaked in 1973, and demand since then has held steady, increasing the need for imports.
Natural gas for February delivery rose 6.7 percent to $6.601 per million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange last week. On Dec. 13, 2005, the futures rose to a record $15.78.
Replacing Oil
Gas may become more important than oil in the next 50 years because crude supplies are running out faster, according to the Paris-based IEA. Global oil and natural gas reserves were about the same at the end of 2005, equal to 1.2 trillion barrels of crude, according to data compiled by BP. Oil reserves are being burned almost twice as quickly as gas.
LNG sales rose about 11 percent last year to 157 million metric tons, according to Wood Mackenzie Consultants Inc. in Edinburgh. It may jump about 66 percent to 261 million tons in 2010 and another 87 percent to 488 million by 2020, the group said.
Record LNG prices won’t fall for “years to come,” said Ari Soemarno, president of Indonesia’s state energy company, PT Pertamina, until 2005 the world’s largest LNG exporter.
Prices under multiyear contracts, excluding freight and insurance, range as high as about $10 per million British thermal units in Asia, assuming $60 a barrel for oil, an element in formulas that determine LNG prices. LNG will say high, even if oil declines, because of shortages, Soemarno said.
Getting Gas
Natural gas deposited near industrialized nations is typically transported through pipelines. The challenge is getting gas from the biggest producers — Russia, Qatar and Iran — to consumers worldwide who aren’t linked by those networks. Now, gas that can’t be transported is pumped back underground to force more crude to the surface, or burned off.
Some $37 billion goes up in smoke each year as waste, from Brazil to the Russian arctic to Nigeria.
Transporting gas on a ship requires it to be chilled to liquid at -162 Celsius (-260 Fahrenheit). The cost of building liquefaction plants has risen to as much as $600 million for each million metric tons of annual production from about $200 million in 2000, according to San Francisco-based Bechtel.
Greenspan’s Appeal
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan in June testified in Congress that LNG is “very important for the U.S., for our national security” and has argued for increased investment. “We have not picked up as quickly as we need” to increase imports, he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington about energy security and economic risk. He declined to comment for this story.
Two of the newest and biggest LNG projects have been over budget and late. Shell’s Sakhalin-2 LNG in Russia has doubled in cost to more than $20 billion. Stavenger, Norway-based Statoil ASA’s Snohvit LNG plant will cost $9.5 billion, almost 50 percent more than first anticipated in 2002.
Building LNG plants now takes four years, rather than three, because contractors are stretched, said Flower, the consultant.
“Construction and permitting of LNG plants is a lengthy process,” BP spokesman David Nicholas said from London.
Abandoned Timetable
Chevron, the U.S.’s second-biggest oil company, last year abandoned its timetable for approving the Gorgon LNG project in Australia. Developing the fields, which hold $400 billion of natural gas, would cost $10 billion and increase world supplies by 7 percent. The driller and partners Shell and Irving, Texas- based Exxon Mobil Corp. are studying ways to reduce construction costs.
The project is “large, complex and faces considerable cost challenges,” Colin Beckett, Gorgon area manager for San Ramon, California-based Chevron said in an interview last month.
Politics and violence also hold back LNG developments. In the seas between Australia and East Timor, development of the $3.7 billion Sunrise LNG project has been stalled for more than two years as the nations resolve how to split royalties.
Shell, the world’s largest non-government producer of LNG, is struggling with projects in Nigeria because of rebel attacks and in Iran, where threats of sanctions over the nation’s nuclear research program restrain investment. Iran has the world’s second-largest gas reserves.
“Shell has a lot of LNG projects in the pipeline,” spokesman Wim van de Wiel said by phone from The Hague. He declined to specify why they were being held up.
Hollywood‘s Take
American politics also get in the way. BHP Billiton, based in Melbourne, missed a target to win government approval in California for an $800 million import terminal near Malibu last year.
Celebrities including James Bond film actors Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry, Oscar winner Tom Hanks, rock musician Sting and supermodel Cindy Crawford campaigned against the plant over safety concerns.
The “not in my backyard” syndrome is among the obstacles in the U.S., Greenspan said in June. “It’s going to take a while” to increase supplies, he said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Angela Macdonald-Smith in Sydney at [email protected] .
Last Updated: January 16, 2007 05:33 EST
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: Shell Workers to Protest Plans for French Unit Sales (Update3)

By Fred Pals

Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) — Workers at three French refineries owned by Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Europe’s largest oil company by market value, may start a “huge strike” in a protest against the possible sale of the facilities.

Workers at the Petit-Couronne, Reichstett-Vendenmheim and the Berre-l’Etang refineries are planning a protest on Jan. 22, the refineries’ unions said in an e-mailed statement today. The plants employ about 3,000 workers, the unions 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.

Belfast Telegraph: Shell seeks to discontinue action against Rossport locals

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Shell is making an application at the High Court to discontinue proceedings against four Rossport local residents about the route of the Corrib gas pipeline.

Lawyers for the company say they cannot take action against Brendan Philbin, Willie Corduff, Phillip McGrath and Brid McGarry in respect of a line which is not now going to be constructed.

The matter of the route of the of the pipeline is going to be changed on the back of recommendations to move it further away from dwelling houses. 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.

Canadian Press: Clashes in southern Nigeria leave a dozen dead; Shell evacuates oil staff

Dan Udoh
Tuesday, January 16, 2007

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (AP) – Royal Dutch Shell evacuated staff from two oil installations in southern Nigeria and the military boosted troop levels in the volatile area Tuesday after community clashes left a dozen community chiefs dead, officials said.

Bisi Ojediran, a spokesman for Shell PLC, said only a skeleton crew remained at the two evacuated pipeline hubs in the Niger Delta region, a vast area of mangrove swamps where Nigeria, Africa’s largest producer, pumps all its crude oil. read more

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

Reuters: OPEC should await Feb cuts before new moves-Daukoru

16/01/07

By Neil Chatterjee and Nidhi Verma

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – OPEC should see the effects of its February crude oil supply cut before deciding on any deeper reductions, Nigerian oil minister Edmund Daukoru said on Tuesday, although he reiterated his concerns about oversupply.

“I think we have to take a wait-and-see (approach). After we implement 500,000 barrels a day (cut), we have to see how the market responds,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Petrotech conference in New Delhi. 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: Dutch Gas Boom Bypasses People Who Live Closest to Its Source

By Fred Pals

Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) — Marga Robbes, a mother of four, stands in a food line each month in Groningen, the poorest province in the Netherlands. Beneath her feet lies Europe’s biggest deposit of natural gas, the largest source of the country’s wealth.

“It is strange that so much money comes from this region and we don’t see the effects of it,” said the 37-year-old former chef, who lives in a two-room apartment and hasn’t worked in a decade because of a disability. She has 100 euros ($129) a month to feed her family. 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.

Asia Pulse: Malampaya consortium gains US$ 122M from condensate export in 2006

The Philippines News agency
Published: Jan 16, 2007

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Jan. 14 (PNA) – The Malampaya consortium has gained US$ 122,030,987 out its 16 export shipments of oil condensate extracted from the said gas project in 2006, according to the Bureau of Customs (BoC) sub-port of Puerto Princesa export statistics on Malampaya condensate obtained by the Philippines News Agency.

Ariston Sandoval, BoC-Puerto Princesa City administrative officer, disclosed the Malampaya consortium composed of Shell Exploration B.V., Chevron Texaco and the Philippine National Oil Company formed the US$ 4.5-billion Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power project generated US$ 122,030,987 revenues from the same period. read more

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

AP Worldstream: OPEC heavyweights attend oil meeting in India

Published: Jan 16, 2007

Nigeria’s Petroleum Minister Edmund Daukoru and top oil officials from several OPEC countries were attending an international conference that opened here Tuesday, seeking to explore exploration and production opportunities in energy-hungry India.

The four-day gathering will focus on investment opportunities in the country’s hydrocarbon sector and the environmental and equity concerns relating to India’s growing demand from energy, Indian Petroleum Secretary M.S. Srinivasan 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.

The Dallas Morning News: U.S. oil companies get cold shoulder from Russia

Published: Jan 16, 2007
Jim Landers, The Dallas Morning News – Texas – KRTBN

WASHINGTON — What does it take to convince Russia that partners for prosperity don’t put tourniquets on each other’s lifelines?

This is a question for European politicians, who for two winters in a row have seen Russia halt energy deliveries in disputes both commercial and political with its neighbors.

It’s important at home as well. U.S. companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. face similar muscle-flexing from the Russians. And a Europe uncertain about Russia as a reliable supplier will compete more vigorously with Americans and Asians for energy supplies on the global market. 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 York Times: Out of Sight, Under Fire Over Leases (*Gale Norton, Shell and murky dealings?)

New York Times photo

(David Y. Lee for The New York Times: Johnnie Burton is director of Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service. On Thursday, the Senate Energy Committee will hold a hearing on unpaid royalties by oil and gas companies.)

EXTRACT: But Ms. Burton has hardly been acting on her own. Under President Bush, the Interior Department’s top ranks were filled with people with close ties to industry. Most prominent were Gale A. Norton, a strong advocate of domestic drilling who recently stepped down as Interior secretary and subsequently joined Shell Oil, and G. Steven Griles, a former industry lobbyist who became deputy secretary and now faces a possible indictment on charges of lying about his dealings with the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In 2004, when the Interior Department offered lucrative new royalty incentives to gas producers that drill very deep wells in shallow waters, the final arrangement was negotiated above Ms. Burton’s level, in negotiations between top aides to Interior Secretary Norton and White House budget officials, according to current and former administration officials. 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 Independent: Tesco follows M&S with climate change move

By Susie Mesure, Retail Correspondent
Published: 16 January 2007

Tesco is to put its customers at the heart of its latest green initiative when it unveils its new strategy to combat climate change on Thursday.

The move by Britain’s biggest grocer, which is today tipped to issue a strong Christmas trading update, will cap the busiest week yet for retailers jostling for pole position in the race to save the environment.

Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco’s chief executive, wants to help empower consumers to cut their carbon footprints. His speech, which will be delivered to a roomful of environmentalists and businessmen at an event hosted by the sustainable development charity Forum for the Future, is expected to list ways shoppers can do their bit by buying home-grown produce. read more

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

The Times: Report will dissect a Cinderella business

January 16, 2007
Carl Mortished: Commentary
 
A report by the James Baker Institute into BP’s US refinery operations will dissect a troubled business that is the Cinderella in the BP portfolio. The volatile and often unprofitable activity of manufacturing fuel has long struggled to secure the attention of BP’s management and it will soon disappear altogether as a business unit in the UK.

BP’s last British refinery is up for sale and the disposal of the Coryton unit in Essex will mean that BP’s UK service stations will be forced to source their fuel from rival companies or from BP operations overseas. The sale follows the disposal in 2004 of Grangemouth, BP’s Scottish refinery, which formed part of a package of refining and petrochemical assets sold to Inneos. 
 
BP struggled for decades along with the other major oil companies to deliver consistent profits from a commodity business suffering from huge overcapacity and cutthroat competition. Only in the past two years has refining enjoyed a renaissance, a profits surge caused by buoyant demand and the gradual erosion of surplus capacity. read more

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

The Times: New BP boss is set to make his mark with restructure of top management

January 16, 2007
Carl Mortished, Industrial Business Editor

Tony Hayward to appoint own team
Critical report expected today
 
Can Hayward close the gap?

A management reshuffle at the top of BP is expected as Tony Hayward, BP’s chief executive-designate, prepares a top team that will put his own stamp on the company after the departure of Lord Browne of Madingley at the end of July. 
 
Lord Browne’s departure, 18 months ahead of schedule and announced before today’s publication of the Baker Report into BP’s US refining business and the Texas City fire, gives Mr Hayward the opportunity to begin to reshape BP’s senior leadership and project a different style of management. 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.

Plasteurope, Germany: Shell: ‘Force majeure’ on Wesseling ethylene and propylene declared

Shell Chemicals (London / UK; www.shell.com) declared “force majeure” on 11 January 2007 for ethylene (C2) und propylene (C3) from Wesseling / Germany. Cracker 2B, one of two at the site, went down on 8 January due to technical problems. A company spokesperson said it is not yet clear when the 240,000 t/y plant will be up and running again.
 

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.

News.com.au: Shell, Caltex defend petrol price roleBy Peter Veness

January 16, 2007 06:21pm

OIL companies today tried to distance themselves from the price of petrol at the bowser, suggesting service stations are to blame for not passing on savings to motorists.

Fuel giants Shell and Caltex today launched a staunch defence of their roles in determining the cost of petrol after competition watchdog Graeme Samuel threatened to shame them into cutting fuel prices.

Mr Samuel, chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, said oil companies have not matched falling world crude prices, which have dropped 25 per cent since August. 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 St. Petersburg Times: Greens Praise EBRD Stance Over Sakhalin

Issue #1237 (103)
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
 
Business
By Tom Bergin
Reuters

LONDON — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said it had decided not to invest in the Shell-operated Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project after state-owned Gazprom agreed to become majority owner.

Environmental campaign groups welcomed the bank’s pullout Friday, and said they would now focus their pressure on commercial banks and government lenders considering loans to the project.

The EBRD said in a statement late Thursday that it had ended discussions on a loan to the project, which is expected to cost over $20 billion. 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: Chevron, Shell Delay LNG Projects, Sending Gas Higher (Update1)

By Angela Macdonald-Smith

Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) — Chevron Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc are delaying construction projects from Australia to Nigeria that may raise natural gas prices for years to come.

None of the world’s biggest energy companies approved developments last year to increase production of liquefied natural gas, which helps heat homes and run power plants from Tokyo to Boston. The main reason is the cost to build LNG plants has tripled in six years, according to Bechtel Group Inc., the biggest U.S. contractor. 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.

International Herald Tribune: BP may have to cede some control of Russian venture

BP Sakhalin

By Heather Timmons and Andrew E. Kramer

When BP announced a landmark investment of $6.15 billion in Russia in 2003, the event was celebrated with a healthy dose of British pomp and circumstance.

President Vladimir Putin flew to London for the announcement and stood with the British prime minister, Tony Blair, who called the deal a “concrete testament” to Britain’s long-term confidence in Russia. The BP chief executive, John Browne — who resigned unexpectedly from the oil and gas company Friday — was personally instrumental in brokering the deal. 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: Beyond PR at BP

REVIEW & OUTLOOK
January 16, 2007; Page A20

Don’t expect much sympathy for John Browne now that his tenure as chief executive of BP has been cut short by 17 months. Sorrow certainly wasn’t the sentiment expressed by investors, who have sent BP shares up more than 2.2% in London and nearly 5% on Wall Street since Friday’s announcement that Lord Browne would leave the oil giant this summer rather than at the end of next year.

Big Oil is one of the most vilified industries among politicians and the press, many of whom would have you believe that running these companies involves little more than deciding how badly to “gouge” gasoline consumers after hurricanes. Lord Browne is paying the price for BP’s struggles in recent years, most notably an explosion at a Texas refinery that killed 15 workers, oil spills in Alaska and alleged market manipulation in the U.S. 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.