Emma Thompson joins Greenpeace to celebrate Shell scrapping Arctic drilling

By Charlotte Krol, and PA, video source YouTube / Greenpeace: 29 Sep 2015

Actress Emma Thompson has joined activists outside the headquarters of Shell to celebrate news that the oil giant is pulling out of drilling in the Arctic.

Greenpeace has been protesting against the company’s attempts to explore for fossil fuels off the coast of Alaska, including parking a double-decker bus-sized polar bear puppet outside the company’s London HQ for the last month.

The company said it would cease exploration in the region for the foreseeable future after failing to find sufficient signs of oil and gas to make further exploration worthwhile, blaming high costs and a “challenging and unpredictable regulatory environment”. read more

By Collin Eaton: 29 Sept 2015

HOUSTON — Royal Dutch Shell’s oil unit in Malaysia said it will cut 1,300 jobs, or about 20 percent of its Malaysian workforce, over the next two years as it restructures itself.

Shell Malaysia said Tuesday it is trying to become a more efficient company but gave few details beyond disclosing the coming staff reductions. It said it has made “adjustments” to its upstream portfolio but didn’t elaborate.

“Shell Malaysia is preparing itself to be more competitive in a low oil price environment,” Shell Malaysia Chairman Iain Lo said in a written statement. “Continuing business as usual is not sustainable. We are taking difficult, but necessary action.” read more

Shell and First Utility target German retail power market

FRANKFURT | BY VERA ECKERT | Wed Sep 30, 2015 

Shell, a brand well known to car owners throughout Germany, has expanded a partnership to provide households with gas and electricity in Europe’s biggest retail market.

The oil major’s supply and trading arm Shell Energy Europe and First Utility, a UK-based independent energy provider, on Wednesday unveiled Shell Privatenergie, a new household energy supplier that pools their energy sourcing and marketing powers.

“We are betting on a partnership with Shell as an energy company with a high ability to procure, as well as a high market strength,” Maik Neubauer, managing director of Hamburg-based First Utility GmbH, told Reuters. read more

Sep. 29, 2015

Summary

* The Burger J well test results were a dud, no major reserves found.

* Shell puts Arctic drilling on hold indefinitely, which further reduces future capex.

* Dividend yield tops the 8% mark.

Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A / RDS.B) was always upbeat about the prospects of drilling in the Arctic, targeting resources that could be 10 times greater than the sum of oil and gas produced so far in the North Sea. Somewhat puzzling, the Anglo-Dutch multinational pressed on with its plans even though rivals Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), BP (NYSE:BP), Chevron (NYSE:CVX) and ConocoPhilips (NYSE:COP) had all suspended activity in the area.

Despite big concerns from environmentalists and shareholders, and earlier misadventures in the region, the company argued it was just too big a prize to avoid the Arctic. read more

Christopher Adams, Ed Crooks and Jack Farchy

After nine difficult years and $7bn of spending, Royal Dutch Shell has admitted it has nothing to show for its contentious campaign to discover oil in the Arctic. As it pulled the plug on further drilling — announcing billions of dollars in likely losses — the prospects for a new frontier in exploration faded, too.

FULL FT ARTICLE

By Paul Barrett: BLOOMBERG.COM: 28 SEPT 2015: 6:12 PM BST

Royal Dutch Shell’s abrupt announcement today that it would cease all offshore drilling in the Arctic is surprising for several reasons. One is the unusual degree of confidence the company expressed as recently as mid-August that it had identified 15 billion barrels of oil beneath the well known as Burger J it’s now abandoning. 

What on earth happened?

Mistaken geology

After spending $7 billion over several years to explore a single well this summer, Shell said in a statement that it “found indications of oil and gas … but these are not sufficient to warrant further exploration.” This contrasts sharply with Shell officials’ statements as recently as July and August that based on 3D and 4D seismic analysis of core samples, its petroleum geologists were “very confident” drillers would find plentiful oil. read more

By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and STANLEY REED

As oil prices have continued their steady decline this year, rig after rig has been shut down, costing thousands of jobs in the United States. Yet major oil producers have been loath to pull the plug on their most ambitious projects — the multibillion-dollar investments that form the backbone of their operations.

Until now. On Monday, Royal Dutch Shell ended its expensive and fruitless nine-year effort to explore for oil in the Alaskan Arctic — a $7 billion investment — in another sign that the entire industry is trimming its ambitions in the wake of collapsing oil prices. read more

BY ZOË SCHLANGER 9/28/15

After a season spent drilling an exploratory oil well in one of the harshest environments on Earth, Royal Dutch Shell announced Monday morning it was abandoning its attempt to develop the Alaskan Arctic “for the foreseeable future.”

The exploratory well 150 miles offshore in the Chukchi Sea did not turn up enough oil to warrant the expensive and “unpredictable” enterprise, Shell said in a statement. It will be sealed and abandoned “in accordance with U.S. regulations,” the company said. read more

It’s all about oil prices.

Royal Dutch Shell said Monday it will stop drilling for oil off Alaska’s coast. The move comes after Shell failed to discover a noteworthy amount of undersea oil in a well off northern Alaska despite spending $7 billion on exploration efforts.

The decision will undoubtedly please the many environmentalists who were against the project from the start. But their protests aren’t the reason Shell is calling it quits in Alaska. Instead, Shell’s decision was economic: The price of oil has dropped precipitously over the past year, meaning it’s getting much harder to make a profit on the stuff. read more

Terry Macalister: Monday 28 September 2015 18.29 BST

Barry Gardiner, Labour’s new shadow minister for energy and climate change, said Shell had been engaged in a fool’s errand. “(Potentially) desecrating one of the world’s last wildernesses shows a complete failure of moral leadership at the head of the company. If his investors are not calling for Ben van Beurden’s head, now that the company has suffered a $4.1bn loss then his board certainly should be.”

FULL ARTICLE

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell has abandoned its long quest to become the first company to produce oil in Alaska’s Arctic waters, darkening the nation’s long-term oil prospects and delighting environmental groups that tried to block the project.

After years of effort, Shell is leaving the region “for the foreseeable future” because it failed to find enough oil to make further drilling worthwhile.

The company has spent more than $7 billion on the effort, slogged through a regulatory gauntlet and fought environmental groups that feared a spill in the harsh climate would be difficult to clean up and devastating to polar bears, walruses, seals and other wildlife. read more

By ETAIN LAVELLE FOR THE DAILY MAIL: PUBLISHED: 22:22, 28 September 2015

To the delight of eco-warriors worldwide, Shell pulled the plug on its Arctic drilling campaign, taking a £2.7billion hit on the controversial venture that was persistently undermined by the prolonged oil price weakness and fierce opposition from ecological activists.

Although an exploratory well showed indications of oil and gas in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea, Shell blamed high costs associated with the project as well as the ‘challenging and unpredictable’ regulatory environment as it shelved its drilling plans for the foreseeable future. read more

Kamal Ahmed: Business editor: 28 Sept 2015

It could have been Hillary Clinton’s tweet that did it.

Just after the US government had given the go-ahead for Shell to restart its exploration in Alaska, the Democratic presidential candidate took to the social media site.

“The Arctic is a unique treasure,” Mrs Clinton said on Twitter. “Given what we know now, it’s not worth the risk of drilling.”

Which seemed to ignore the fact that drilling has been taking place in the Arctic for decades – for example oil was first discovered in one of the main basins, Prudhoe Bay, in 1968. read more

Mon Sep 28, 2015 6:21am EDT

By Karolin Schaps

(Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell has abandoned its Arctic search for oil after failing to find enough crude, a move that will appease environmental campaigners and shareholders who said its project was too expensive and risky.

The withdrawal came six weeks after the final U.S. clearance and three months after Shell was still defending the project, a rapid change of heart for such a large company that showed it is preparing for a prolonged period of low oil prices while trying to close its $70 billion takeover of rival BG. read more

FoxNews.com: Sept 28, 2015

Royal Dutch Shell said early Monday that it was ceasing offshore oil and gas exploration in Arctic waters after a test well yielded unsatisfactory amounts of oil and gas.

The announcement was a huge blow to Shell, which was counting on offshore drilling in Alaska to help it drive future revenue and had poured billions in investment and years of work into the exploratory well. Environmentalists, however, had tried repeatedly to block the project, and welcome the news.

A statement from the company’s headquarters in The Hague said Shell was ending exploration off Alaska “for the forseeable future” after what it called “a clearly disappointing exploration outcome.”

Shell said it had found indications of oil and gas in the well in the Chukchi Sea, about 80 miles off Alaska’s northwest coast. However, the petroleum was not in quantities sufficient to warrant additional exploration in that portion of the basin, the company added. read more

September 28, 2015 | By Jennifer A. Dlouhy

WASHINGTON — After spending $7 billion and seven years searching for oil under Arctic waters, Royal Dutch Shell on Monday said its quest had come up dry.

Shell announced that its exploratory oil well in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska encountered “indications of oil and gas” that are “not sufficient to warrant further exploration” — a significant blow for the Anglo-Dutch firm that had hoped to find a multibillion barrel crude reservoir in those remote waters.

“Shell continues to see important exploration potential in the basin, and the area is likely to ultimately be of strategic importance to Alaska and the U.S.,” said Marvin Odum, director of Shell Upstream Americas. “However, this is a clearly disappointing exploration outcome for this part of the basin.” read more

Christopher Adams, Energy Editor: Sept 28: 7.28am

Royal Dutch Shell has abandoned a contentious Arctic drilling campaign off the coast of Alaska and is preparing to take billions of dollars in writedowns after its exploration efforts failed to make a significant discovery.

However, the company said in a statement on Monday that while it had found “indications” of oil and gas, “these are not sufficient to warrant further exploration” in the area.

“Shell will now cease further exploration activity in offshore Alaska for the foreseeable future. This decision reflects both the Burger J well result, the high costs associated with the project, and the challenging and unpredictable federal regulatory environment in offshore Alaska,” it said.

FULL FT ARTICLE read more

Associated Press: Monday 28 September 2015 07.04 BST

Royal Dutch Shell PLC has said it is ceasing exploration in offshore Alaska for the foreseeable future, saying an exploratory well drilled to 6,800ft (2,100m) found oil and gas but not in sufficient quantities.

Shell USA’s president, Marvin Odum, said in an announcement early on Monday in the Netherlands that it was a disappointing outcome for that part of the Chukchi sea basin.

Shell drilled in 150ft (45m) of water about 80 miles (130km) off Alaska’s north-west coast. The exploratory well was the first in the Chukchi in 24 years. read more

Published by Joshua Noonan: September 27, 2015

With the declared April 2015 merger of Royal Dutch Shell and BG Group, formerly British Gas, a combination of assets spanning continents is occurring. The completion date of the merger in early 2016 has had some roadblocks. In Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak Field project, the combined group could lead to Shell to hold 29.5% by 2016. Despite this, the government of Kazakhstan may be blocking the transfer of shares.

The Karachaganak Field is a gas condensate field in northwestern Pre-Caspian Basin nearly one hundred miles east of Oral.The Field was discovered in 1979, with production starting in 1984. Upon independence, AGIP, currently Eni, and British Gas, now BG Group won exploitation rights. Thence, in 1997, Texaco (currently Chevron) and Russia’s Lukoil alongside the original signatories and two companies signed a production sharing agreement for forty years. BG Group and Eni possess 29.25% share a peace and Chevron has 18% and Lukoil has 13.%. Upon arbitration and a December 2011 acquisition, KazmunayGas purchased a 10% stake for two billion USD cash and one billion in non-cash consideration. read more

Shell says 90 per cent of the supply vessel staff will come from Nova Scotia

25 Sept 2015

Four ships are standing by in Halifax Harbour, waiting for Shell Canada Ltd. to get the green light to hunt for oil in the deep waters of Nova Scotia.

The company expects to begin drilling two exploration wells in the Shelburne Basin within the next few months, pending approval from the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board.

“What we are waiting on at this point is the very important regulatory approvals and the availability of the ship conducting the drilling activity,” said Shell spokesperson Cameron Yost. read more

Bidness Etc discusses how European oil majors are impacted by the slowdown in the Chinese economy

By: Micheal Kaufman: Sep 25, 2015

The slowing Chinese economy has impacted the overall world economy and various other sectors. According to a Moody’s Investor service report EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa)’s mining sector is totally exposed to the economic crisis, followed by the oil and gas sector. Shipping, chemicals, and auto sector are considerably impacted while some other EMEA sectors including tobacco, telecoms, real estate, healthcare, and railways will be marginally impacted, since they are more regionally focused and their credit worthiness is not genuinely exposed. read more

By Jessica Shankleman  |  25 Sep 2015

Will Shell-funded Energy Transitions Commission help or hinder the low carbon economy?

Oil giant Shell is backing a new organisation that is being set up to lobby governments to step up their investments in low carbon technologies, with the twin aims of boosting economic growth and tackling climate change.

But the new Energy Transitions Commission, which is due to launch on Monday with €5m to €7m of funding, has already come under fire from some green groups who fear Shell may be using the initiative to further its own aims, particularly its controversial Arctic drilling programme. read more

Green Business | Thu Sep 24, 2015 

Representatives from energy companies including oil heavyweights Shell and Statoil have joined forces to advise on making cleaner energy decisions, the latest push by energy firms to become more pro-active on climate issues.

Shell Chairman Chad Holliday, Statoil Vice-President Bjorn Otto Sverdrup and RWE Chief Executive Peter Terium are among a list of commissioners acting in a personal capacity to advise governments on how to change their energy markets without damaging the environment. read more

Shell expects LNG demand to rise by 5% every year over the next couple of decades while global gas demand is growing at 2%

By: Siddhartha P Saikia | Singapore | September 25, 2015 5:39 AM

Royal Dutch Shell, which set up a 5 million tonne LNG terminal at Hazira in Gujarat nearly a decade back, is targeting to grab a bigger share of the growing demand for imported gas in India. The Hague-based global energy giant is planning to set up a floating LNG facility on the east coast — at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.

Recently, Andhra Pradesh Gas Distribution Corporation (APGDC), GDF Suez, Shell and GAIL have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up a floating LNG terminal with an initial capacity of 5 mt, which could be doubled at a later stage. “We have been very constructively working on the project (LNG terminal) on the east coast. We really believe in the India gas market,” said Maaten Wetselaar, executive vice present for Shell Integrated Gas in Singapore. read more

Sep 24 2015, 11:59 ET | By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B), BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) and GE are teaming up with the McKinsey consultancy and other large companies to advise governments on how to combat global warming without weakening their economies, Financial Times reports.

The companies also are backing a $6M “energy transitions commission” to create a blueprint for a greener global economy in the next 15 years.

But the commission, due to be formally unveiled at a conference in Texas on Monday, already is under fire from some environmental groups who ask if a body supported by fossil fuel companies can offer objective guidance on global warming. read more

By Lisa Smith: 24 Sept 2015

If you have a pension with oil giant Shell and are worried about what may happen to your retirement savings if you lose your job you need to take specialist financial advice.

Many Shell workers have built up significant retirement savings as high-earners in a well-paying industry.

The company runs the Shell Overseas Contributory Pension Fund – but a key point to remember is the scheme is not an HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) registered pension.

Unlike the Shell scheme, a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS) is a registered pension and operates under a framework of rules administered by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).  read more

By Inyoung Hwang: BLOOMBERG.COM 22 Sept 2015

A fresh drop in in oil prices and political instability in Brazil is making investors miss out on about $5.5 billion in Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s pending takeover of BG Group Plc.

BG closed on Monday at 990.4 pence, about 9.5 percent below Shell’s cash-and-stock offer. The difference in share prices in the deal — the largest in the energy sector in at least a decade — is wider than the average for other global acquisitions bigger than $10 billion, data compiled by Bloomberg show. read more

Dear John,

Interesting to read the two recent articles about Shell/Corrib on your site – Shell’s arrogance, plus their presumption of statutory and ministerial subservient compliance still reign supreme!

Shell could at least have made a cursory acknowledgement of a person’s right to recourse to law by way of Judicial Review of the two presumed consents but, once again, they would appear to know something the rest of us don’t.

I would much appreciate if you could draw your reader’s attention to a Shell to Sea petition addressed to the line Minister Alex White which asks/demands that he refuse Shell consent to operate their ‘Space Shuttle syndrome’ refinery at Ballinaboy. As this is of local, national and global significance, I hope many readers will sign it over the next two days. read more

Will Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (RDS.A) Maintain Dividends?

By: Micheal Kaufman: Sep 21, 2015

Analysts are concerned that future of Royal Dutch Shell plc’s (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.A) dividend is under immense risk, and expressed concerns that Shell will not be able to deliver its promise of 7% dividend yield. Currently, the American Depository Receipts (ADR) of Shell offers a one-year forward dividend yield of 7.6%, with quarterly dividend payment of 47 cents per share.

The glut in crude supply, China’s economy weakening, and lowered crude demand from Asian and European market has led oil prices to fall from $116 per barrel last June to below $50 per barrel this summer. Share prices of most energy companies have slumped. Companies that were once expecting crude oil prices to recover soon are now taking a long term bearish view of the oil market. read more

BY KARA O’NEILL: 21 Sept 2015

A giant dying polar bear has been placed outside the headquarters of oil and gas company Shell in a bid to stop their Arctic drilling programme.

British actress Emma Thompson was among the protesters who manoeuvred the three-tone puppet into place, locking six people inside so the bear cannot be moved.

The bear, which is the size of a double decker bus, and is named Aurora (after the Northern Lights) is intended to sit outside the company’s headquarter in South Bank, London, until they cease their drilling. read more

Shell report says Alaska oil exploration program brings $172.7 million to Puget Sound communities

By CORAL GARNICK: McClatchy News Service: 20 Sept 2015

SEATTLE — Shell Oil, preparing to return its offshore Arctic drilling fleet to Puget Sound as early as next month, has released a study saying that this year and next its controversial Alaska oil exploration program will pump $172.7 million directly into the Puget Sound economy.

That spending is expected to support 1,590 jobs and generate $125 million in wages and $312 million in total economic output, which includes direct, indirect and induced impacts, according to an economic impact study released Wednesday. read more

Sunday 20 September 2015 

Ben van Beurden, the Shell chief executive, was on a media blitz last week trying to prop up sagging confidence in his ability to keep paying blue-chip dividends while expanding his empire at a time of very low oil prices. The planned takeover of BG Group is an important test of the Dutchman’s credibility in the City and on Wall Street, but an increasing number of analysts are questioning whether it makes sense with $50-a-barrel oil.

SOURCE

By JON REES, FINANCIAL MAIL ON SUNDAY: 20 Sept 2015

Some green campaigners seem to believe Shell boss Ben van Beurden would be happy dunking polar bears in thick, black crude oil if it helped make the planet even hotter.

But van Beurden, the 57-year-old engineer who has run Royal Dutch Shell for nearly two years and has given the company the green light to drill in Arctic waters, believes his view of the world’s future is considerably more honest than that of many environmentalists.

‘The amount of energy we consume is going to double in the first half of the century so we will have to supply twice as much as we do today as an industry. Most renewables produce electricity, and electricity is just 20 per cent of the energy mix. Where is the other 80 per cent going to come from?’ says the Dutchman. read more

If the oil price stays low, Shell’s van Beurden may have to eat his words Photo: AFP

Sunday Telegraph: Jeremy Warner: 20 Sep 2015

Ben van Beurden, chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell, is on a charm offensive to convince investors – and the press – that both the dividend is safe and the pending £45bn takeover of BG Group will proceed as planned. These promises attempt to address what is in essence the same underlying worry – the low oil price and its prospects for recovery.

In each case, the markets are plainly sceptical. Shares in Shell are on a barely believable yield of more than 7 per cent, indicating a high probability of a dividend cut to come, while BG shares trade on a discount of more than 10 per cent to the see through value of Shell’s offer. read more

“Thousands of buildings have been damaged in earthquakes caused by the ground settling after the gas has been removed. ‘NAM has continued to drill in Groningen even though it is well aware of the risks, and has put dozens of lives in danger…”

By John Donovan: Saturday 19 Sept 2015

A spokesperson for the Dutch Petroleum Company (NAM) – a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil – confirmed earlier today that the Company is cutting 2,000 jobs.

The downsizing results from the collapse in oil and gas prices and concern over massive multi-billion dollar liability arising from the NAM induced earthquakes in Holland arising from gas extraction at the Groningen field. 

RELATED

Top lawyer takes on NAM over Groningen quake dangers

High profile lawyer Gerard Spong has made a formal complaint against gas extraction company NAM, saying he holds it responsible for deliberately damaging houses and other property in Groningen province. read more

Shell Ireland has declared that the on-site work is now complete for the gas to flow from the Corrib Gas field.

Some of the more than 900 employees pictured during construction of the Corrib Gas Processing Terminal at Bellanaboy.

Irish Independent: By Gordon Deegan: Saturday 19 Sept 2015

Shell Ireland yesterday declared that on-site work is complete for gas to flow from the Corrib gas field.

Shell E&P Ireland confirmed that from a technical point of view, production of gas can now start – 19 years after gas was discovered in the gas field off the coast of Mayo.

However, the Corrib Gas Partners cannot commence production until two separate permits are granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Dept of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. read more

18 Sept 2015

Total and Shell have been given the green light to build 100 gas stations across Iran in the near future, after approval by government officials. This will be the first time foreign branded gas stations will operate in the country.

The 100 gas stations, which also received the approval from Bijan Haj Mohammad Reza, the chairman of the trade union of Iran’s filling station, will spread across different Iranian regions, according to Iranian news website Oilnews.

“For the first time Iran’s Petroleum Ministry will give permission for the construction of gasoline stations under any brand in the country,” he said. read more

18 September 2015

The short drilling season for oil exploration in U.S. Arctic offshore waters will reach one stopping point Sept. 28 and a complete halt Oct. 31 for Royal Dutch Shell Plc. The company has been drilling since July 30 at the Burger prospect in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska. If oil is discovered, it will require some very interesting and complicated development decisions and regulatory considerations.

Shell has come a long way to get this far. It acquired a set of leases over the Burger prospect in 2008 and has spent about $7 billion on trying to develop the leases. Shell, operating through its subsidiary Shell Gulf of Mexico Inc., did not report a discovery from the well it drilled in 2012, and no one has ever yet discovered oil in the Chukchi — not oil in commercial quantities, at any rate. A dry hole is always a possibility. read more

By DAN JOLING: 18 Sept 2015

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Critics of Arctic offshore petroleum drilling have used climbing gear, kayaks and polar bear costumes to protest industrial activity in the Arctic. They’re now trying humor.

Actors Alexander Skarsgard of “True Blood” and Jack McBrayer of “30 Rock,” along with Andy Bichlbaum of “The Yes Men” activists, are on a Greenpeace ship in the Greenland Sea with a team from the Funny or Die production company to make a comedy series focused on industrial threats to the Arctic. read more

As New-Age Style Came In,
Geology Skills Lost Out;
Imitating Jerry Springer Oilmen at a Rainy Playground

By CHIP CUMMINS and ALMAR LATOUR
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: November 2, 2004

In late 2000, the head of the Dutch exploration unit at Royal Dutch/Shell Group asked his planners to deliver five-minute skits pitching ideas for discovering oil and gas.

In one skit, a naked employee ran on stage to catch the boss’s attention, say two people who attended. Another featured a mock episode of the Jerry Springer show, the incendiary daytime TV talk program. A third, after a bit of fun and games, promised to extract large quantities of natural gas cheaply from seemingly declining Dutch fields.

Long known for its sober geological expertise and conservative image, the Anglo-Dutch energy giant in the 1990s embraced New Age management. At other meetings, managers were told to shake their arms up and down in “energizer” exercises or stare into the eyes of colleagues while confiding their innermost thoughts, say attendees.

This cultural revolution ultimately led Shell into one of the worst crises in its history as the company turned to accounting maneuvers to hide its failures in finding energy. This year it admitted that it dramatically overstated its oil and gas reserves. read more

Tim Treadgold, CONTRIBUTOR

Shareholders in Royal Dutch Shell ngIf: ticker will be uncertain whether they should thank, or criticize, the Australian Government’s competition regulator for threatening the proposed $70 billion merger with rival oil and gas producer, BG Group ngIf: ticker .

On one hand, a deal which could transform Shell is being threatened. On the other hand, missing out on BG could be the best result for Shell.

The problem is that BG’s primary appeal to Shell is that the target, once known as British Gas, is heavily exposed to liquefied natural gas (LNG), a fuel moving into a period of significant over-supply and potentially lower prices, at least in the short term. read more

Regulators may be moving toward sending antitrust complaint

Probe began two years ago with raids on BP, Shell and Statoil

By Gaspard Sebag and Javier Blas: BLOOMBERG.COM: 17 Sept 2015

Major oil companies including Royal Dutch Shell Plc and price publisher Platts were told by regulators to redact business secrets from documents obtained during antitrust raids in a sign the European Union may be moving ahead with a two-year-old probe, according to four people familiar with the investigation.

The redaction request could be a precursor to the European Commission sending a formal complaint, or statement of objections, to some of the firms, said the people who asked not to be named because the investigation into fuel-benchmark rigging isn’t public. read more

By John Donovan

In 2010, I published an article revealing that four years earlier, U.S. authorities had launched an investigation into alleged industrial espionage by Shell Oil Company.

I contacted Shell at the time, but the then Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer for the company refused to comment.

A related court case is currently underway. A link is provided to documents filed today IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Case 1:14-cv-02139-KBJ. Shell is not currently involved. read more

by CYNTHIA MCFADDEN and JAKE WHITMAN: SEP 17 2015

At Royal Dutch Shell’s operations center in Anchorage, the cries of outrage that greeted the start of offshore drilling in the Arctic are drowned out by optimism.

The energy giant’s president, Marvin Odum, told NBC News that he’s confident that the $7 billion already spent to find oil under the sea — a bet that no other company is making in the American Arctic — was the right business decision.

And he says he’s also certain that Shell can handle any accident that might unfold during exploration or extraction, which wouldn’t even happen until 2030. read more

September 17, 2015

If Shell’s Chukchi Sea drilling operations manage to penetrate underground rock formations in waters off Alaska’s north coast this season and don’t find oil, that could be the end of the company’s controversial Arctic efforts, according to a report from the BBC.

“Our plan for the Arctic is to find out whether there is any oil in the Chukchi Sea,” Shell CEO Ben van Beurden told the British news outlet.

“We are in the middle of that drilling campaign and we have to see at the end of the season whether we get into the reservoir. If these results are conclusively no, then it will probably be the end of the road for our Alaska adventure.” read more

by Sarah Spickernell

Royal Dutch Shell’s takeover of rival BG Group has been postponed, after Australian regulators voiced concerns about the potential impact on domestic gas supplies.  

In a statement today, Rod Sims, chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), claimed the deal was not in the best interests of Australian consumers, as it might result in a greater proportion of east coast supplies being exported.  

He said: 

If the proposed acquisition resulted in less supply of gas to the domestic market, therefore, this could substantially lessen competition to supply domestic gas users and lead to higher domestic prices and more restrictive contractual terms. read more

Kamal Ahmed: Business editor: 17 Sept 2015

As it moves, gingerly, through the first stages of exploration 70 miles off the Alaskan coast, Royal Dutch Shell has revealed its commitment to drilling in the Arctic.

And how long it will be before any oil or gas actually comes out of the ground – if at all.

Despite environmental concerns and the low oil price, Ben van Beurden, Shell’s chief executive, told me that as the world’s energy demands increased, the hunt for new resources was as important as ever.

The Arctic, he points out, has long been a source of oil and gas production. Environmental safety would be the priority, he insisted. read more

Commodities | Thu Sep 17, 2015 

* Regulator raises domestic gas supply, price concerns

* ACCC to issue final decision on Nov. 12

* Shell says still expects to complete deal in Q1 2016 

By Sonali Paul

MELBOURNE, Sept 17 (Reuters) – Australia’s competition watchdog flagged concerns on Thursday that Royal Dutch Shell’s proposed $70 billion takeover of BG Group may lessen gas supply competition in eastern Australia and delayed a final decision on the bid to November.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said a large number of market participants had expressed concerns that the proposed takeover may lead Shell’s Arrow Energy to sell its gas into BG’s Queensland Curtis liquefied natural gas plant (QCLNG) for export. read more

By James Paton Sept 17, 2015: BLOOMBERG.COM

Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s $70 billion deal to buy BG Group Plc could reduce the supply of natural gas to local customers in Australia and boost prices, according to the nation’s competition regulator, which delayed a decision on the agreement until November.

The transaction may decrease the incentive for Shell’s Arrow Energy venture with PetroChina Co. to feed gas to the domestic market, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission wrote in a statement on Thursday. That’s because it would allow Shell to send the Arrow supplies to BG’s Queensland Curtis liquefied natural gas project on the east coast, which is super-cooling the fuel for export to customers in Asia. read more

Royal Dutch Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden has told the BBC a recovery in the price of oil is hard to foresee.

“It is a very, very volatile business in terms of supply and demand. The oil price responds to very small mismatches between supply and demand,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

The price of oil has roughly halved in the past year, to just under $50 (£32) per barrel.

Goldman Sachs predicted earlier this month it could fall as low as $20.

When asked where oil prices may go next, he told the BBC: “The honest answer to that is I don’t know.” read more