October 10th, 2007:

Wed Oct 10, 2007 11:09 AM BST

LONDON, Oct 10 (Reuters) – Shares in Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile , Research) extended losses and fell as much as 1.9 percent in late morning trade on Wednesday as traders cited market talk that the energy group was guiding analysts lower on its forecats

One trader said there was talk that Shell’s third-quarter volumes and full-year capital expenditure might be lower than market expectatations.

No immediate comment was available from Shell, whose shares underperformed those of rivals BP (BP.L: Quote, Profile , Research) and Total (TOTF.PA: Quote, Profile , Research). read more

From a valued regular contributor, Paddy Briggs, on the BBC article by James Smith, UK Chairman of Royal Dutch Shell Plc.  

BBC News: Firms ‘need clear climate policies’

October 10th, 2007 03:23

I think that this is a pretty good statement of reality by James Smith. He rightly places the principal responsibility with Governments (I would add to this governmental groupings like the EU). I find in revealing (and pleasingly honest) that there is only a passing mention of “Renewables” in Smith’s piece (and actually no use at all of the R word). It is a shame that Shell’s corporate advertising over the past few years has not similarly placed Renewables in their (minor) place in the Shell galaxy. This seems to be changing and Shell’s quite recent communications initiative “Eureka” is quite excellent and I commend it to anyone. (See http://tinyurl.com/yppfyl) . read more

MOSCOW (Thomson Financial) – Royal Dutch Shell said Russia needs foreign expertise and investment if it is to profit fully from offshore oil and gas reserves estimated to be seven times larger than those in the North Sea.

‘If Russia is to develop its extraordinary resource base it will need cooperation,’ Chris Finlayson, Russia director for the British-Dutch energy giant, told investors at a conference in Moscow.

‘There is room here for foreign oil players as well as Russian oil companies, while meeting the models of cooperation and control which the Russian government wishes to use,’ Finlayson said. read more

(The name and address of the author of the comments below, who has many years of experience as a Shell EP senior manager, has been supplied to us on a confidential basis; the content is unedited)

Email addressed to John Donovan

SPTEMBER 2007 SPEECH MADE BY MALCOLM BRINDED

Who needs international oil companies?: Speech by Malcolm Brinded (also comments on safety issues)

I read this speech from your web site when it was published and spent a couple of days considering how to respond to such a speech from such an arrogant and self confident man.  It is obvious that his actions both present and past considers himself supreme and beyond any accountability.  The whole aurora of the speech is amazing! Over the years of his tenure thousands of Shell jobs have gone to either Consultants or Contractors replacing Shell staff.  Anything Shell does is implemented by these Consultants from development feasibility studies right through to front end Engineering/Construction and Operation.  Shell provides finance and sits in the background totally hands off hence the ever increasing failures to implement developments with the estimated budgets. The most recent example are in Russia with the LNG plant which will most likely followed by the Pearl GTL and Harwell EOR with overruns probably approaching 100%.  Shell appears to have lost control but why? read more

By RACHEL PANNETT
October 10, 2007 4:47 a.m.

CANBERRA, Australia — The Australian government Wednesday gave a long-awaited green light to the giant Gorgon gas project off the coast of northwestern Australia, clearing the way for the country’s biggest-ever resources project.

The approval allows oil giants Chevron Corp., ExxonMobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC to develop a liquefied natural gas plant on Barrow Island off the coast of Western Australia state, but comes with strict conditions to protect the local environment. The plant will produce 10 million metric tons of LNG a year. read more

News: The race to claim Arctic fuel reserves could revive the proposed Mackenzie River Valley pipeline.

By James Ridgeway

October 10, 2007

It’s estimated that one quarter of the world’s untapped oil and gas reserves lie in the Arctic. And while politicians bicker loud and long over Iraqi oil, and oil executives lay plans for bringing natural gas and oil from West Africa, most know that the Arctic is the real prize in the ongoing international struggle to control dwindling energy resources. That’s especially true now, as global warming causes Arctic ice to melt, exposing virgin territory and even, perhaps, opening for shipping the fabled Northwest Passage, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. read more

U.S. oil company Chevron has signed an agreement with Mexico’s state-run oil company Pemex for training on deep-water oil and natural gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Pemex has this year signed with other oil companies, including Royal Dutch Shell, Norway’s StatoilHydro Canada’s Nexen and Brazil’s Petroleo Brasileiro, to gain technology as it seeks to drill in the Gulf’s deep waters.

Oct. 9, 2007, 8:46PM

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/5201337.html

(James Smith, UK Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell Plc)

VIEWPOINT
James Smith 

Fossil fuels are going to remain the main source of power in an increasingly energy-hungry world for decades to come, says James Smith in this week’s Green Room. However, he urges governments to urgently provide polices to encourage investment in cleaner technologies.
 
Long-term thinking has never been more important in the energy industry.

Energy companies routinely invest billions of dollars in mammoth projects that often have life spans of 30 years or more. read more

Terry Macalister
Wednesday October 10, 2007

The soaring value of smaller exploration and production companies to the larger oil majors struggling to increase their production was underlined yesterday when London-based Burren Energy revealed it had rejected a number of hostile bids valuing it at more than £1.5bn.

Shares in the British firm soared 26% to £11.65 as the Italian oil group ENI confirmed it was one of those that had made an unsolicited approach to Burren, with which it shares operations in the Congo. read more

EXTRACT: BG Group added 24½ to 851p after Brazilian newspaper Valor reported that state oil company Petrobras and Royal Dutch Shell had recently discussed a joint acquisition of the natural gas provider, although no deal emerged.

THE ARTICLE

By Ben Bland
Last Updated: 8:26pm BST 09/10/2007

After last week’s glut of mid-market takeovers, the increasing pace of M&A deals drove shares higher after Southern Water was snapped up by a JP Morgan-led consortium for a punchy £4.19bn and Italian oil and gas giant Eni emerged as a surprise suitor for Burren Energy. read more

October 10, 2007
Steve Hawkes

Shares in Burren Energy soared by nearly 30 per cent yesterday after Eni, the Italian oil and gas giant, revealed that it had made a near £1.5 billion takeover approach for the London-listed explorer.

The statement, which caught most industry-watchers by surprise, triggered fresh speculation of a wave of consolidation across the City’s independent oil sector.

Eni said that its offer of £10.50 per share had been rejected by Burren but added that it remained in talks with both the group’s board and shareholders. read more

By Samuel Oyadongha
Posted to the Web: Wednesday, October 10, 2007

YENAGOA—Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) yesterday disbursed N66million micro credit loan to 12 of its EA field host communities in Bayelsa State.

The company also donated three speedboats, one for each of the newly recognized EA neighbouring communities of Agge, Ekeni and Ezetu to aid movement of goods and services as well as enhance security/surveillance of activities around the communities.

The benefiting communities include Ogbeintu, Orobiri Azambiri, Letugbene, Bisangbene, Bilabiri I&II, Amatu I&II, Ekeni and Ezetu while Agge community, one of the EA communities had earlier benefited from a similar exercise held in Warri. read more