September 25th, 2007:

25 September 2007

OIL giant Shell confirmed yesterday that non-essential personnel had been taken off two North Sea platforms on Sunday.

About 100 workers were shifted from the North Cormorant installation after one of the two boilers broke down. Meanwhile, a similar number of people were moved from the Cormorant Alpha unit after one of the three power generators failed.

A spokeswoman for Shell said it was hoped that the two platforms would be fully manned again by today. Fog has been hampering efforts to fly workers back on board. read more

Sep. 25, 2007

The Anglo-Dutch Shell Oil Co. has begun its third production project in Russia. On Thursday, Tatneft plans to sign an agreement with Shell forming a joint venture to develop shale oil deposits in Tatarstan. There are 12 such deposits known in the Cheremshano-Bastryksky licensed zone in Tatarstan with a total recoverable reserves of 26 million tons. Tatneft expects the joint venture to produce 1.5 million tons of shale oil per year by 2017.

Shell produces 2.5 percent of the world’s oil and 3 percent of the world’s natural gas. It owns 27.5 percent of shares in Sakhalin Energy, operator of the Sakhalin 2 project; 50 percent of Salym Petroleum Development, the project to develop the eponymous deposits; 27 filling stations in Moscow and St. Petersburg; and 50 percent of Shell and Aerofuels, which fuels airplanes at Domodedovo Airport in Moscow. Salym Petroleum Development is expected to produce 4 million tons of oil this year, and Sakhalin should produce around that amount as well. read more

Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:47pm BST
(Adds Shell, BP, Dow no comment, analyst comment, background)

KUWAIT, Sept 25 (Reuters) – Kuwait wants to drop Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research) as a partner and is instead considering BP (BP.L: Quote, Profile, Research) in a project to build a $5 billion oil refinery in Guangdong in China, Kuwait’s state news agency KUNA reported on Tuesday.

Shell had hoped to gain a foothold in the domestic fuel market of the world’s second-largest energy consumer through the Guangdong plant, after an attempt to take a share in another refining project failed last year. read more

Oil companies may have to hand over more revenue

By JULIE ZIEGLER and JIM EFSTATHIOU JR.
Bloomberg News

Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp. and other foreign oil companies operating in Nigeria may soon have to give the government a greater share of revenue from deep-water oil production, Nigeria’s petroleum minister said Monday.

The companies signed production-sharing contracts during the 1990s that allowed them to operate without a joint venture with the government and to pay royalties once the cost of developing the field was fully recovered. read more

Posted on: September 25, 2007

China, the world’s largest coal burning polluter, apparently overcame its resistance to pay market price for clean fuel by signing long-term contracts for Australian natural gas, a move that has positive implications for nearly all the world’s natural gas producers.

Coincident with the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation [APEC] leaders meeting in Sydney hosted by Australian Prime Minister John Howard and attended by Chinese President Hu Jintao, China agreed to buy Australian liquefied natural gas [LNG] in two multi-year contracts. read more

EXTRACT: In a preliminary analysis, CalPERS estimated Anderson’s bill could affect $8.5 billion invested in 50 international companies, including Siemens AG of Germany and Royal Dutch Shell of the Netherlands.

Gilbert Chan, The Sacramento Bee – California
Published: Sep 25, 2007

Saying California should take a “powerful stand against terrorism,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pledged Monday to sign legislation requiring the state’s two giant public pension funds to shed billions in Iran-related investments. read more

By Sheila McNulty in Houston and Ed Crooks in London
Published: September 25 2007 03:00 | Last updated: September 25 2007 03:00

Tony Hayward, BP’s new chief executive, has prepared staff for a far-reaching shake-up of the oil company as he delivered a blunt warning that third-quarter revenues would be “dreadful”.

Mr Hayward told a staff meeting in Houston he would be announcing a streamlining of the company’s organisation next month, the Financial Times has learnt. He said that BP’s financial performance was at its lowest since 1992-93. read more

Graeme Wearden
Tuesday September 25, 2007

BP is poised to axe swathes of management in response to a “dreadful” financial performance, according to reports.

The Financial Times claimed this morning that chief executive Tony Hayward has warned US staff that he is planning a major reorganisation, with the oil giant’s performance at its worst for 15 years.

“There is massive duplication and a lack of clarity of who does what,” said Mr Hayward at a gathering of staff in Houston. read more

September 25, 2007
Nick Hasell: Tempus

Shares in Peter Hambro Mining (PHM) can usually be relied on to keep pace with the price of gold. That they have not done so over the past 12 months – spot bullion prices have risen around 26 per cent, PHM’s shares a more modest 11 per cent – can largely be pinned on Oleg Mitvol.

Late last year, the deputy head of Russia’s state environmental watchdog caused consternation in London by threatening to revoke five of PHM’s licences, claiming that the company had either violated environmental rules or done nothing to develop the sites in northeastern Russia. Given that Mr Mitvol was instrumental in the dilution of Shell’s stake in its $20 billion Sakhalin II project, it was hard for shareholders not to take notice. read more

By Julie Ziegler and Jim Efstathiou Jr.

Sept. 24 (Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc., Exxon Mobil Corp. and other foreign oil companies operating in Nigeria may soon have to give the government a greater share of revenue from deepwater oil production, Nigeria’s petroleum minister said.

The companies signed production sharing contracts during the 1990s that allowed them to operate without a joint venture with the government and to pay royalties once the cost of developing the field was fully recovered. read more

By Gavin Evans and Sophie Tan

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) — Crude oil fell for a third day in New York as U.S. producers in the Gulf of Mexico increased output after a storm threat passed.

BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and other oil companies have so far restored about 70 percent of the production shut last week when a tropical depression formed in the eastern gulf, according to government records. A report tomorrow will probably show U.S. crude stockpiles declined last week because of the closures and as refiners slowed imports during plant maintenance. read more

September 25, 2007

Shell China and Shanghai Clean Energy Research And Industry Promotion Center have jointly announced the completion of a six-month sample operation of gas to liquid operations.

The sample operation was conducted in Shanghai from November 28, 2006 to May 31, 2007. During the period, GTL was reportedly used on four unmodified buses with Euro II emission standards. The result shows that this kind of fuel works effectively in reducing the generation and emission of dark smoke, fine articles and other chemicals. read more

Last Updated: 24/09/2007  15:07
Clodagh Mulvey

Shell to Sea representatives today said they reject Shell E&P’s latest proposals for three possible new routes for the proposed Corrib gas onshore pipeline.

Shell E&P consultants RPS today published a shortlist of the three possible onshore gas corridors, which it says offers “the best prospect of satisfying the community, environmental and technical criteria” for the controversial project.

RPS director P. J. Rudden, said experts – including archaeologists, ecologists, engineers and marine specialists – would examine the proposed routes further but that the suggested routes would go on public display this Wednesday at the RPS project office in Belmullet, Co Mayo. read more