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May 23rd, 2007:

akm.ru: Gazprom formed Gazprom Sakhalin Holdings to purchase controlling stake in Sakhalin Energy

23/05/2007

Gazprom Sakhalin Holdings B.V. was formed in accordance with Gazprom’s BOD decision to purchase 50% + 1 shares in Sakhalin Energy, said Gazprom’s press service to AK&M.

Thus Sakhalin Energy’s controlling stake is on the balance of Gazprom Sakhalin Holdings, registered in Amsterdam.

April 18, Gazprom closed the deal on purchasing controlling stake in Sakhalin-2 for $7.45 bln. The sides agreed that the Gazprom will pay off the deal by money and the sum of payment will be proportionally divided. Shell now has 27.5% in Sakhalin-2, Mitsui – 12.5%, Mitsubishi – 10%. 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: Qatar gas plant on track after Sasol warning-Shell

Wed May 23, 2007 5:32 PM BST

LONDON, May 23 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell said on Wednesday a multibillion dollar project to turn gas into liquid fuel in Qatar was on schedule, a day after Sasol warned a similar venture had problems.

Sasol said its Oryx gas-to-liquids joint venture plant in Qatar had technical snags and would only make a marginal cash contribution to earnings. Shell started building its plant, Pearl GTL, last year.

“Progress is broadly in line with expectations, with estimated completion around the end of the decade,” said Adam Newton, a spokesman for Shell in London. read more

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

Calgary Herald: Exxon rumour boosts Imperial

Shares of Imperial Oil Ltd., Canada’s largest oil company, rose more than four per cent, gaining for the seventh time in eight sessions amid speculation that parent ExxonMobil Corp. will acquire the remaining 30 per cent stake it doesn’t already own.

The stock rose $2.26, or 4.5 per cent, to $52.25 Cdn on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the biggest one-day gain since Oct. 23.

The shares have soared 20 per cent since May 9 as the Calgarybased company joined other oil producers with refining operations in benefiting from improved margins for producing gasoline and other fuels. 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.

PR Newswire (US): Royal Dutch Shell plc: Buyback of Own Shares

LONDON, May 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Royal Dutch Shell plc announces that on 23 May, 2007 it purchased for cancellation 550,000 “A” Shares at a price of 27.91 euros per share. It further announces that on the same date it purchased for cancellation 250,000 “A” Shares at a price of 1895.25 pence per share.

Following the cancellation of these shares, the remaining number of “A” Shares of Royal Dutch Shell plc will be 3,673,950,000.

As of 23 May, 2007 2,759,360,000 “B” Shares of Royal Dutch Shell plc were in issue. 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.

Houston Chronicle: Energetic growth ahead: Real estate

Nancy Sarnoff, 
Published: May 23, 2007

Office towers under construction along the western part of Interstate 10 reflect the strength of the city’s energy-centric economy.

While this part of town, known as the Energy Corridor, might not experience the same kind of growth spurt it’s seen over the past couple of years, a new study predicts a healthy expansion through 2025.

More than $1.6 billion worth of office, retail, apartments and hotels have been under construction or planned since 2005, according to the Energy Corridor District. 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.

Houston Chronicle: U.S. lawmakers take a jab at OPEC: House legislation would label oil cartel’s actions as illegal

David Ivanovich,
Published: May 23, 2007

WASHINGTON — The House took aim at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on Tuesday, voting overwhelmingly to brand the cartel’s efforts to control world oil prices illegal.

And with support of the legislation strong in the Senate as well, President Bush soon could be thrust into the unenviable position of siding with OPEC producers at a time of painfully high gasoline prices.

As American motorists forked over a record average $3.21 a gallon — according to the most recent AAA survey — the House voted 345-72 Tuesday to approve a bill that would authorize the attorney general to sue the OPEC countries in U.S. courts. 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.

Contra Costa Times (California): Board will consider hydrogen pipeline: Proposal for 20-mile link from Chevron to ConocoPhillips refinery

Headline: Board will consider hydrogen pipeline: Proposal for 20-mile link from Chevron to ConocoPhillips refinery on meeting agenda

John Geluardi
Published: May 23, 2007

An advisory board will consider an application tonight that would run an underground hydrogen pipeline through unincorporated Rodeo to the ConocoPhilips Refinery.

According to the application, the 20-mile pipeline would originate at the Richmond Chevron Refinery and run 20 miles to a terminus at the Shell Martinez Refinery. The Rodeo Municipal Advisory Council is considering a request to run a lateral extension from the main pipe near Highway 4 to ConocoPhilips. 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.

View from the States: Exxon Mobil – The Rest of the Story

Although the company has made noises suggesting it’s seen the light on global warming, a new report from Greenpeace shows that they’re still the major funder of climate change-denying groups. So, asks Marc Gunther, what’s the real story?

Last winter, ExxonMobil told reporters that it was cutting back on its its funding to groups that challenge the science of global warmings. Jeffrey Ball of The Wall Street Journal and Steven Mufson of The Washington Post, among others, reported that Exxon had since 2005 stopped funding the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Business Week said: “The oil giant has now closed its cash spigot to some groups challenging global warming.” I wrote a column for CNN Money suggesting that ExxonMobil had acknowledged the reality of global warming and opened discussions with well-regarded environmental groups, including Resources For 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.

Marketing Magazine: Shell holds global digital review

by Gareth Jones
Marketing 23-May-07, 12:00

LONDON – Shell is kicking off a review of its multimillion pound global digital account, which is currently with Digitas London.

The fuel company is in the process of inviting a number of UK-based agencies to pitch for the business, which is understood to comprise web development, online advertising and eCRM.

The move comes just months after Shell worked with Digitas London and JWT on the launch of a global corporate social responsibility initiative highlighting its green credentials. 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 Globe & Mail: Imperial Oil buyout would mark shift in Exxon strategy

Andrew Willis, today at 7:38 AM EDT

Based strictly on the numbers, there is no chance that Exxon Mobil is going to buy out the remaining public stake in Canadian subsidiary Imperial Oil.

The MBA types have all crunched the numbers, and concluded that despite Exxon’s staggering cash generation, using more than $15-billion to mop up the 30 per cent of Imperial it doesn’t own is a poor use of capital.

That hasn’t stopped Imperial stock from staging an impressive rally. Takeover speculation, along with a dividend hike and generally bullish sentiment on energy, pushed Imperial stock up yesterday by more than 4 percent. That marked the seventh gain in eight sessions. 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.

Spero News: Sakhalin Island: Energy profile

Oil reserves in the area are estimated at almost 12 billion barrels, and natural gas reserves at approximately 90 trillion cubic feet

Wednesday, May 23, 2007
By EnerPub
    

Sakhalin Island, a former penal colony located off the east coast of Russia and to the north of Japan, holds vast hydrocarbon resources. The island is home to six oil and gas projects. Five projects are currently in different stages of development, and two of the projects, Sakhalin I and Sakhalin II, aim to bring oil and natural gas production online in the near term. Both projects have targeted Asian markets.  Three blocks after Sakhalin VI have not been awarded yet.  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.

Spero News: Russia: Energy profile

Wednesday, May 23, 2007
By EnerPub    

Russia’s economy is heavily dependent on oil and natural gas exports, making it vulnerable to fluctuations in world oil prices.

In 2006, Russia’s real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by approximately 6.7 percent, surpassing average growth rates in all other G8 countries, marking the country’s seventh consecutive year of economic expansion. Russia’s economic growth over the past seven years has been driven primarily by energy exports, given the increase in Russian oil production and relatively high world oil prices during the period. Internally, Russia gets over half of its domestic energy needs from natural gas, up from around 49 percent in 1992. Since then, the share of energy use from coal and nuclear has stayed constant, while energy use from oil has decreased from 27 percent to around 19 percent. 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: Nigerian militants emboldened by a democracy too flawed to help resolve grievances

The Associated Press
Wednesday, May 23, 2007

KOROKORO, Nigeria: Young boys scamper along weed-entangled pipes, transforming a flowstation marked “Not In Use” into a jungle gym in the heart of Nigeria’s lawless oil region. Nearby wells rust amid the palm trees and gas-flaring chimneys have gone cold.

Welcome to Ogoniland, 500 square miles (about 1,300 square kilometers) of oil-rich land where villagers ousted oil companies in the 1990s. Amid rising militancy in the region, tiny Ogoniland offers a glimpse of the oil industry’s worst-case scenario: an absolute shutdown of production across the wider Niger Delta, where strife has already cut production by a quarter. 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: Bernstein Raises 2007 Crude Oil Price Forecast to $59 a Barrel

By Will Kennedy

May 23 (Bloomberg) — Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. raised its forecast for average oil prices in New York this year by 18 percent to $59 a barrel because an increase in gasoline demand may outpace supply growth.

Bernstein raised its ratings on Royal Dutch Shell Plc and ConocoPhilips to outperform on the expectation that their shares will gain ground on competitors.

Bernstein downgraded Chevron Corp. to “market perform.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Will Kennedy in Singapore at [email protected] . read more

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

UpstreamOnline: Bolivia investors ‘waiting for clarity’

EXTRACT: Total is one of a handful of foreign companies with investments on the line in Bolivia. Others include Spain’s Repsol YPF , Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell and Brazil’s state-run energy giant Petrobras, the largest foreign investor in Bolivia.

By Upstream staff

Bolivia probably has more natural gas deposits than believed but it needs to provide clear investment guidelines before foreign energy companies will resume exploration investment there, a senior executive of France’s Total said today. 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: U.S. plan for Iran’s containment

EXTRACT: There are several big gas and oil projects on the drawing board, including a 10 billion dollars investment by Royal Dutch Shell and the Spanish oil company Repsol YFP to develop Irans South Pars gas field, one of the worlds biggest natural gas deposits…

THE ARTICLE

Text of report in English by Iranian Mehr news agency in English

TEHRAN: A greater share of the US-UK aggregate effort against the nation of Iran is heavily focused on a relatively more conspicuous course of action such as the enforcement of UN sanctions, which are meant to strangle the Iranian economy and consequently intensify social tension in order to undermine Iran’s system and social fabric. 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.

Irish Independent: Fed up with Shell to Sea

Published: May 23, 2007

I have followed with interest your coverage of the Corrib Gas project. A member of the Shell to Sea group campaign is quoted as follows: “It’s time that Shell copped on that the people of Erris are not behind them.”

Be that as it may be, but who is behind Shell to Sea?

I am not aware that Shell to Sea have asked local people from communities in Rossport, Ballinaboy or any other community around here for consent to let Shell to Sea claim to speak and act on our behalf. 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: EIB aims for €1bn with ‘green’ bond

EXTRACT: But Andrew Simms, policy director at the New Economics Foundation, the environmental economics think tank, criticised the inclusion of BP and Shell on the index, pointing out that although the pair had increased their investment in renewable energy, their core business was still fossil fuels.

THE ARTICLE

By Paul J Daviesand Robert Orr

Published: May 23 2007 03:00 | Last updated: May 23 2007 03:00

The European Investment Bank, financing arm of the European Union, hopes to raise about €1bn ($1.34bn) for investment in “green” projects by means of a bond that will offer investors a guaranteed return and the feel-good factor of socially responsible investing. 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: Crude & Dagger

EXTRACT: Royal Dutch Shell ceded control of the Sakhalin-2 energy project to the state-run behemoth Gazprom and agreed to pay Russia’s government a huge, variable dividend tied to the price of oil. At a time of increased anxiety over supplies that has had energy prices shooting up, Shell and others have had little alternative but to play ball with a sharp-elbowed Moscow. Russia boasts some of the world’s biggest untapped energy reserves.

THE ARTICLE

By TIM ANNETT

British investigators probing the polonium-triggered demise of a former Russian agent think they have their man. But bringing the suspect to justice could further chill relations between Moscow and the West and inspire the Kremlin to tighten its grasp on the country’s vast energy reserves. read more

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

The Wall Street Journal: BP Faces Test of Russian License

Associated Press

MOSCOW — BP PLC’s license to develop a giant Siberian gas field could be revoked in days, Russia’s environmental watchdog said Tuesday, as pressure mounted against one of the last major foreign-controlled energy projects in the country.

Losing its license to the Kovykta field would be a painful blow for London-based BP since the company has appeared conspicuously eager to court favor with the Kremlin, which has aggressively expanded state control over the world’s biggest oil and gas 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.

The New York Times: Bolivian President Blasts Capitalism

EXTRACT: Bolivia later lost tens of thousands of soldiers and another wide swath of territory in the 1930s Chaco War with Paraguay, which many historians describe as a proxy battle between U.S. company Standard Oil and Dutch-British Shell Oil over land thought to hold valuable petroleum deposits. 

THE ARTICLE
 
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: May 23, 2007
Filed at 12:26 a.m. ET

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — President Evo Morales called capitalism the ”worst enemy of humanity” at a conference of Latin American leftist intellectuals on Tuesday. 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 New York Times: Pricey Gasoline Costs U.S. Consumers Extra $20 Bln

EXTRACTS: Many lawmakers blame the lack of competition in the oil industry from mega oil company mergers for the run-up in gasoline prices.

Officials from oil giants Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Shell Oil, along with major oil refiner Valero Energy Corp., were asked to testify at the hearing but declined to appear.

THE ARTICLE
 
By REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The jump in U.S. gasoline prices this year has so far drained consumers of an extra $20 billion, or about $146 for each passenger car in the country, the Government Accountability Office told Congress on Tuesday. 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.

Daily Telegraph: Lucrative trade with Britain could be at stake

By Ben Quinn
Last Updated: 1:35am BST 23/05/2007

Even without the fallout from the Alexander Litvinenko affair, Anglo-Russian trade relations have been strained as a result of difficulties suffered by British energy companies such as Shell and BP.

A glance at trading figures shows that the stakes are high. Trade with Russia hit a peak in 2005, with annual turnover worth as much as £7 billion.

In the first nine months of last year Britain was still the biggest foreign investor in Russia with total investment worth £2.8 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.

Daily Telegraph: Gazprom: Russia’s ‘pipeline troops’

Gazprom Daily Telegraph photograph

(Gas guzzler: Soon Gazprom will supply up to 15pc of the UK’s gas and is weighing up British energy companies such as Centrica)

EXTRACT: Gazprom’s – and Moscow’s – problem is the tarnished image created by the way Russia handled the claw-back of energy assets and disputes with other countries. Royal Dutch Shell lost control to Gazprom of the Sakahlin-2 gas field after an avalanche of allegations about breaching environmental rules.

THE ARTICLE

By Russell Hotten, Industry Editor
Last Updated: 1:12am BST 23/05/2007 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.

Daily Telegraph: What will Litvinenko murder charge cost Britain?

EXTRACT: Yesterday, Russia’s environment agency said that BP’s joint Russian venture, TNK-BP, could lose its licence to develop a giant Siberian gas field within the next few days. The same fate has already befallen Shell, which earlier this year was forced to surrender control of another oil field to Gazprom, the state energy giant.

Adrian Blomfield
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 23/05/2007

Worldstage: Moscow

Over the years, Tony Blair’s relationship with President Vladimir Putin has drawn sneers from Russian liberals and hard-liners alike. Mr Putin’s critics despise the Prime Minister for coddling their autocratic ruler, while pro-Kremlin hard-liners regard Britain as little more than an American satellite. 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: Legal battle starts over Kovykta

May 23, 2007
Steve Hawkes

BP will begin its fightback today against Russian authorities threatening the energy group’s hold on the giant Kovykta gasfield, which was discovered in eastern Siberia in 1987.

TNK-BP, the group’s Russian venture, is launching a legal action to clarify the terms of its licence amid mounting speculation that soon it will be forced to hand over a majority stake in the project to Gazprom, the Kremlin-controlled gas group.

Oleg Mitvol, the controversial deputy head of Russia’s environmental watchdog, reiterated yesterday that TNK-BP could have its licence revoked in a matter of days for failing to hit production targets. He said: “Either the company fulfils its obligations or it will lose its licence.” 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: Spy murder row poisons relations with Russia

May 23, 2007
Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor

Britain’s relations with Russia were at their lowest point since the Cold War after the authorities in Moscow refused yesterday to cooperate with an extradition request for the man accused of murdering Alexander Litvinenko.

Trade relations with Russia are expected to worsen significantly after an announcement by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that it believed there was enough evidence to charge Andrei Lugovoy with the “deliberate poisoning” of Mr Litvinenko. Britain wants him to stand trial here before a judge and jury, but Moscow made it clear that this was out of the question. 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.

Fort McMurray Today: Shell possible customer for atomic energy

By RENATO GANDIA
Today staff
Tuesday May 22, 2007

The mystery around a new Royal Dutch Shell PLC subsidiary is deepening.

Last year, Sure Northern Energy Ltd. bought the most expensive oilsands lease to date in a location that has bitumen deposited in rocks instead of mixed with dirt and sandstone.

Now, the company is reportedly looking at nuclear power to support its experimental oilsands ambitions, 100 kilometres northwest of Fort McMurray, according to the Globe and Mail.

Sure is a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell. The parent company is tightlipped about the plan. 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.