Shell sticking with spending discipline as 2018 profits soar

Ron Bousso: January 31, 2019

The Anglo-Dutch oil company also reported a sharp rise in cash generation, in a further sign that cost savings since the 2014 oil market downturn are filtering into its operations.

Its shares were up by more than 4 percent at 1120 GMT.

A strong performance in the fourth quarter was driven by higher oil and gas prices, year-on-year, as well as a stronger contribution from crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading. read more

The oil giant is finally making enough cash to pay its dividends and cut debt. But it’s yet to show that it can boost returns while shifting to renewables.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc appears at first glance to have arrived at its destination. The Anglo-Dutch oil major made enough cash last year to pay its dividends and cut debt, seemingly confounding skeptics who feared the payout would need to be cut. But this isn’t yet a sustainable performance. Shell is still traveling.

The company’s dividend yield hit about 9 percent in 2015 as falling oil prices and the acquisition of BG Group, funded partly by debt, sowed doubts over whether the payout was affordable. Shell has since cut costs and capital expenditure and brought new production on stream. Add an oil price recovery and the group generated $53 billion of operating cash flow last year. That left it able to fund $14 billion of capital spending and other investments, net of disposals, and a $20 billion bill for interest payments and dividends.

Shell has used the surplus cash to cut debt and buy back its own shares. Net borrowings of $51 billion at the end of the fourth quarter are down from nearly $80 billion in the aftermath of the BG takeover and stood at 20 percent of total capital, Shell’s target.

Job done? Not so fast. This is still only a snapshot, rather than sustained proof. The debt reduction was aided by a huge boost from working capital movements in the last three months of 2018. The volatility in Shell’s working capital as inventories jump around is one reason why investors can’t be sure just yet that the company’s leverage will stay at or below the threshold.

The average price for Brent crude in the fourth quarter was about $69 per barrel. It is around $62 currently. While Shell could have afforded its cash dividends for 2018 had the oil price averaged out at that lower level over the whole year, it’s hard to be confident about crude’s buoyancy right now. read more

Shell ‘leading the way’ on climate change

Written by Mark Lammey – 31/01/2019 12:38 pm

Oil super major Shell is “ahead of the curve” on facing up to climate change responsibilities, its boss said today.

Green investor groups have been putting increasing pressure on oil companies to clean up their acts in recent times.

In December, Shell revealed plans to link pay for its top brass to the achievement of emissions targets.

Shell said it would start setting targets for shorter periods in an effort to cut the net carbon footprint of its energy products by around half by 2050, and 20% by 2035. read more

By Oliver Griffin: Published: Jan 31

Royal Dutch Shell PLC RDSB on Thursday reported a rise in profit for the fourth quarter of 2018, saying it had benefited from high prices in oil, gas and liquid natural gas.

The British-Dutch oil giant said its profit for the three months ended Dec. 31 on a net current cost-of-supplies basis–a number similar to the net income that U.S. oil companies report–was $7.33 billion compared with $3.08 billion in the year-earlier period.

Adjusted CCS earnings–Shell’s preferred metric–came to $5.81 billion in the fourth quarter, beating a consensus estimate from Vara Research that forecast $5.28 billion in adjusted CCS earnings. read more

Sam Meredith | @smeredith19

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell reported better-than-expected full-year earnings on Thursday, as deep cost cuts introduced after the 2014 energy market downturn filtered through.

Full-year profits jumped 36 percent to $21.4 billion in 2018 — with cost savings helping the Anglo-Dutch company record its highest annual profits since 2014.

Net income attributable to shareholders on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis, used as a proxy for net profit, and excluding identified items, came in at $5.7 billion. This compared to a company-provided analyst consensus of $5.28 billion for the final three months of 2018, according to Reuters. read more

Royal Dutch Shell plc Fourth Quarter 2018 Interim Dividend

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Jan. 31, 2019 /PRNewswire/ —

The Board of Royal Dutch Shell plc (“RDS” or the “Company”) (NYSE: RDS.A) (NYSE: RDS.B)today announced an interim dividend in respect of the fourth quarter of 2018 of US$0.47 per A ordinary share (“A Share”) and B ordinary share (“B Share”), equal to the US dollar dividend for the same quarter last year.

Details relating to the fourth quarter 2018 interim dividend

It is expected that cash dividends on the B Shares will be paid via the Dividend Access Mechanism from UK-sourced income of the Shell group. read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 30/01/2019 7:00 am

The Anglo-Dutch firm wants to “reset” the way it works with suppliers and will look to cement “fewer, but deeper” relationships, said Neil Gilmour, vice president CP integrated gas, projects and new energies.

Mr Gilmour said more benefit could be extracted from longer-term relationships were operators and suppliers “keep each other on their toes commercially”.

Speaking at BHGE’s annual meeting in Florence, Mr Gilmour said: “It’s a pivotal moment for the energy industry. It’s a pivotal moment for Shell and also for its relationships with suppliers. read more

Union says time running out for new refinery contract: sources

JANUARY 29, 2019

HOUSTON (Reuters) – The United Steelworkers union (USW) warned on Tuesday that time was running out to reach a new national agreement for U.S. refinery and chemical plant workers before the current pact expires on Friday, sources familiar with the talks said.

The USW and Shell Oil Co, the U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, have been in talks since Jan. 16 for an accord on wages, benefits and safety covering 30,000 refinery, chemical plant and pipeline workers. read more

Shell set to post best profits since 2014

Written by Energy Reporter – 25/01/2019 1:46 pm

Royal Dutch Shell is set to unveil its highest annual profits for four years next week, but fourth-quarter figures are expected to take a hit from recent oil price falls.

Results on Thursday are expected to reveal a 39% surge in underlying earnings to £16.8 billion for 2018, up from £12.1 billion in 2017.

This would mark its highest profits since 2014 and comes after Shell hailed one of its “strongest ever quarters” for the three months to September as higher oil prices drove earnings up 37%.

But fourth-quarter results may take the shine off the performance after oil prices went into reverse since reaching a heady high of nearly $87 per barrel in October. read more

Union says Shell dragging feet in refinery contract talks: sources

JANUARY 26, 2019 / 3:05 AM

HOUSTON (Reuters) – The United Steelworkers union (USW) said on Friday Shell Oil Co is delaying progress on important issues in negotiations for a new national agreement covering 30,000 U.S. refinery and chemical workers, according to sources familiar with the talks.

Shell spokesman Ray Fisher declined to discuss specifics about negotiations.

“We look forward to the bargaining process working through to its completion and a conclusion that can be satisfactory with all parties,” Fisher said. read more

NEWS PROVIDED BY LNG Canada

Jan 21, 2019, 17:35 ET

VANCOUVER, Jan. 21, 2019 /CNW/ – Today, LNG Canada announces the value of contracts and subcontracts approved as of December 2018, following the first three months of the construction phase of the large-scale LNG export project near Kitimat, British Columbia.

LNG Canada has thus far approved over $937 million (CAD) in contracts and subcontracts with First Nations enterprises and other businesses across Canada. This includes $175 million (CAD) to local First Nations businesses and, with the addition of contracts awarded to local Kitimat area businesses, including First Nations businesses, that total increases to $330 million (CAD) and $530 million (CAD) with the addition of BC businesses outside the local area. read more

JANUARY 22, 2019

HOUSTON, Jan 21 (Reuters) – The United Steelworkers union (USW) has made progress on some issues in contract talks with Shell Oil Co, which is the lead negotiator for U.S. refinery and chemical plant owners, sources familiar with the negotiations said on Monday.

Many tough issues remain to be resolved at the bargaining table, the sources said.

The sources declined to identify on which issues progress has been made or which remain to be resolved between the union negotiating on behalf of 30,000 refinery, chemical plant and pipeline workers and Shell Oil, the U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell Plc read more

The chairman of oil giant Shell said Thursday that he doubts clean energy can move fast enough to meet the United Nations climate warnings without a substantial policy push, despite the technology being readily at hand.

“Our analysis says we could solve this problem with the technology we have, but there is not enough pull to get it over in the kind of time frame that the scientists say we really need to avoid that,” said Chad Holliday, chairman of Royal Dutch Shell, speaking at an energy innovation forum in Washington. read more

(Repeats with no changes to text. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)

JANUARY 17, 2019

By Clyde Russell

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Jan 17 (Reuters) – The spot price of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Asia has completely missed its usual winter peak, with much of the blame being laid at the door of milder-than-usual temperatures trimming demand.

That sounds perfectly plausible, but doesn’t quite tally with the fact that delivered volumes into the major consuming region of Northeast Asia hit a record-high in December. read more

Greig Cameron: January 17, 2019

Faroe Petroleum is working with Royal Dutch Shell and Spirit Energy over a drilling decision on a large North Sea prospect this year. The Edinburgh area covers blocks in British and Norwegian waters and is described as one of the largest undrilled structures in the central North Sea.

The three companies have agreed to take an equal share of equity on each of the four licence blocks the area covers, leaving Faroe with 45 per cent, Shell 40 per cent and Spirit with 15 per cent. Faroe, founded in 1997, is being taken over by DNO, its largest shareholder, for 160p a share, which values the company at more than £640 million. read more

A tanker truck enters a Royal Dutch Shell Plc facility in Loving County, Texas, on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. (Photographer: Angus Mordant/Bloomberg)© 2018 BLOOMBERG FINANCE LP

Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A), saw profits surge in the last quarter, as improvements to capital efficiency has meant the company reported a strong quarter. With oil prices falling into the twenty’s a couple of years ago, Shell decided to re-focus its strategy. Previously it had focused on acquiring assets, and paid little attention to quality. When the oil prices fell, it had to quickly re-strategize to keep profitability up, and the strategy has paid off. Gas and exploration income almost doubled from the previous year, and the upstream segment of the company saw significant increases. Along with the increase in income, profits almost tripled from the previous year . read more

Brown, 56, will remain a member of Shell’s executive committee until his departure on Sept. 30, Shell said in a statement. read more

Angry Dutch citizens on Thursday will ask their country’s highest court to put an immediate end to gas production in the Groningen region due to the risk of life-endangering earthquakes.

17 Jan 2019 

THE HAGUE: Angry Dutch citizens on Thursday will ask their country’s highest court to put an immediate end to gas production in the Groningen region due to the risk of life-endangering earthquakes.

Decades of extraction from what once was Europe’s largest natural gas field have led to dozens of minor tremors every year, damaging thousands of homes and sparking unrest among locals.

An unusually severe, magnitude 3.4 quake prompted the Dutch government last year to decide to end production by 2030 and to lower it as quickly as possible in coming years. read more

EXCLUSIVE: TV chef who previously campaigned for green causes is facing a major backlash

The TV chef has launched Jamie Oliver deli by Shell (Image: PA)

Shell, whose profits hit £4.3billion last year, is in the top 10 global carbon dioxide emitters. It is also involved in a corruption trial over dealings in Nigeria.

By Tom Bryant: Head Of Showbiz: 20:54, 15 JAN 2019

Jamie Oliver has sparked fresh fury after trying to defend his £5million food-to-go deal with Shell.

The TV chef, 43, yesterday launched his range for the oil giant, despite campaigning for action on climate change.

He said he had “thought a lot” before agreeing to it, adding: “There are pitfalls working for any client, they all have their own baggage.”

But campaigners hit out at his reasoning, which comes after Jamie told of a cash crisis at his company.

Shell, whose profits hit £4.3billion last year, is in the top 10 global carbon dioxide emitters. It is also involved in a corruption trial over dealings in Nigeria. read more

Erwin Seba: JANUARY 16, 2019 / 6:09 AM

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Buoyed by concluding a big pay raise for steel workers last month, a United Steelworkers union top negotiator squares off on Wednesday against oil companies seeking to win a 24 percent wage hike for 30,000 refinery and chemical employees.

The stakes are high for the union and oil industry, which scored big profits last year from refining and chemicals. The talks are the first since 2015 when a stalemate led to rolling strikes that sent more than 7,000 workers off their jobs at 12 U.S. refineries and three chemical plants. read more

January 15, 2019

Jamie Oliver has defended his decision to sign a reported £5 million deal with Royal Dutch Shell despite years of campaigning for action on climate change. The television chef said that he had anticipated the accusations of hypocrisy that he has faced since news leaked of his agreement to design a range of deli food for the oil major’s British petrol stations. Oliver said that he had “thought a lot” before signing the deal, but had reached the conclusion that “there are pitfalls working for any client and they all have their own baggage”. He argued that the partnership “was absolutely worth it” if it meant that people had access to better-quality food. The chef, who was named an “environmental champion” by the UN Environment… read more

JANUARY 14, 2019

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell and Dutch pension fund manager PGGM are considering a joint bid for Dutch energy company Eneco [ENECO.UL], which analysts estimate to be worth around 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion).

The 53 municipalities that own Eneco, which is heavily invested in sustainable energy projects, said in December they will sell it via an auction later this year.

Shell and PGGM, who gave no financial details, said they were looking for “a long term commitment” with Eneco, which is expected to appeal to energy companies that want to increase their exposure to renewable energy production. read more

Who Killed Henry?: The book title arises from the fact that in 1937, Shell Director for Europe Henry van der Waerden was found dead in mysterious circumstances after receiving a threat from members of the Nazi movement. This was after he had failed to respond favourably to intense pressure from Deterding and the Nazis to do their bidding.

By John Donovan

I was recently contacted by Henry van Buuren, the grandson of Henry van der Waerden, an engineer who held a high-level position at Shell under Sir Henri Deterding. read more

A truce was reached in a dispute over a natural gas pipeline in western Canada, easing tensions for now as government leaders remain wary of intervening on the side of either the company or indigenous protesters.

Hereditary leaders of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in British Columbia reached a tentative deal with police late Wednesday to effectively allow work to resume on part of Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s $31 billion gas export project.

Coastal GasLink workers will be able to access a bridge that had been barricaded, so long as a nearby protest camp isn’t dismantled, the Canadian Press reported, citing comments from one of the chiefs. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said Wednesday there had been a resolution. “This is how this is supposed to work,” he told a town hall event in the Pacific coast province. read more

Energy giant Shell has announced today that it will partner with energy storage firm Anesco at the Bacton gas terminal near Norfolk.

Written by David McPhee – 10/01/2019 11:28 am

A UK renewable energy company, Anesco will work with Shell on a battery storage project at the site.

Anesco will provide the design, procurement, installation, commissioning and maintenance of the utility scale system.

Anesco executive chairman, Steve Shine siad: “We are delighted to be partnering with Shell New Energies on this exciting new project in the storage sector.

“It marks another significant milestone for us at Anesco. We have fully complied with Shell’s high standards of quality and safety and that is a massive compliment to the Anesco team.” read more

The Dutch High Court says it will consider demands on Jan. 17 seeking an immediate end to gas production from the Groningen field, after the government said it would cut output gradually.

The High Court says it received 26 objections to the plan, expressing concerns about seismic risks caused by drilling and demanding an urgent halt in production.

Analysts say the court is unlikely to grant an immediate halt because the Netherlands still depends on Groningen gas for a significant part of its energy supply. read more

Shell Canada has announced it’s testing the waters to sell its refinery and chemical facilities in Corunna.

Shell’s plant in Corunna is for sale, the company announced Wednesday. (Handout)

Shell Canada is testing the waters to sell its Sarnia-Lambton refinery.

The fossil fuel giant that’s operated since 1963 at the 77,000 barrel-per-day Sarnia Manufacturing Centre in Corunna announced Wednesday it’s been looking to find a buyer for the refinery, chemical plant, and Sarnia distribution terminal – as well as another distribution terminal in Hamilton and Shell’s 45 per cent stake in the Sun Canadian Pipeline – for about a year, said spokesperson Olwen Gover. read more

Shell buys out Total’s 26% stake in Hazira LNG and Port

Shell Gas, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, acquired 26% equity interest in the Hazira LNG and Port from Total, to complete the acquisition. We did not disclose the financial consideration for the deal.

“The move allows Shell to build an integrated gas value chain: supply from its global LNG portfolio, regasification at the Hazira facility, and downstream customer sales. It further enables Shell to contribute towards India’s long-term need for more and cleaner energy solutions,” Shell said in the statement. read more

By Dominic Walsh

Ben van Beurden has marked five years as chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell by giving a “wide-ranging interview” on climate change, his leadership style and “Shell’s biggest financial transformation” — an interview given to, erm, Royal Dutch Shell’s website. But rest assured, the oil group’s in-house journalists weren’t letting their boss off lightly. The transcript published yesterday features such hard-hitting questions as: “Who do you turn to for advice and support?” (answer: his wife, Stacey); “What are you most proud of when you look back at 2018?”; and “Why is trust so important for Shell?” A real zinger, that one. read more

Shell’s Pulau Bukom industrial site in western Singapore. (Photo: AFP)

08 Jan 2019 04:54PM (Updated: 08 Jan 2019 05:00PM)

SINGAPORE: Oil giant Shell has been fined S$400,000 for a fire which broke out at a petroleum refinery on Pulau Bukom in 2015, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Tuesday (Jan 8). 

The fire left six workers injured, including two with critical injuries after they suffered 50 per cent and 70 per cent burns.

On Aug 21, 2015, two groups of workers were simultaneously conducting maintenance and project works on a crude distillation unit at the refinery, said the ministry. read more

Fluidsdoc: Jan. 7, 2019 4:31 AM ET

Summary

• Shell has taken a positive FID on a massive 14 mpta LNG project in Western Canada.
• Several companies have abandoned this effort due to opposition and low gas prices.
• We review the scenario ahead of Shell going forward.

Introduction

Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B) has the strongest position in LNG of any Super Major oil company. On the whole, we think this is a perfect direction in which to take a legacy oil company like Shell. The energy mix that runs the world is changing, and strong companies must adapt to stay strong. We’ve have written about this in a number of articles. These are set to free status so you can go into more depth on Shell. For the most part, we think Shell is doing that. read more

Ben van Beurden Photographer: Aaron M. Sprecher/Bloomberg

The boss of oil giant Shell has admitted he is “still unhappy” with the firm’s safety performance, despite pledging a redoubling of efforts in 2018.

Written by David McPhee – 07/01/2019 1:03 pm

Chief executive, Ben van Beurden, raised a call to redouble the firm’s focus on safety last year after a number of serious incidents in 2017.

An overturned tanker spill and explosion in Pakistan caused the tragic death of 200 people, while there were also fatalities in Canada and Nigeria.

Mr van Beurden added he is also focusing on restoring trust in the oil firm.

He said: “I’m still unhappy with our safety performance. read more

Marissa Luck, Houston Chronicle: Monday, Jan 7, 2019

The Gulf Coast has become home of one the largest producers of a common plastic: Shell fired up its fourth alpha olefins unit at its chemical plant in Geismar, Louisiana, the company said Monday.

The multi-billion dollar expansion adds 425,000 metric tons per a year in capacity to the chemical manufacturing site, bringing its total alpha olefin production up at Geismar to more than 1.3 million metric tons per a year. That makes it the largest alpha olefins producing site in the world, the company said. read more

• Author Andrew Toh    Wanda Wang    Eric Yep
• Editor Wendy Wells
• 03 Jan 2019 | 07:14 UTC

Singapore — Shell will load the first condensate cargo from Australia’s Prelude FLNG project at end January, according to shipping reports and sources Thursday.

The condensate will be loaded in a 80,000 mt clip over January 31 to February 2, shipping reports showed.

A vessel has not been fixed for the cargo, and shipbrokers said Shell began looking for an Aframax tanker to load the cargo Thursday.

Shell did not immediately respond to an email query seeking comment.

The destination of the cargo is unclear, though trade sources have said that the oil major will likely use the cargo within its own network of splitters and refineries. read more

Jan. 2, 2019 8:21 AM ET| By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B) says China has awarded it a license to independently trade oil products in the country’s domestic wholesale oil market, allowing it to carry out purchases and sales of oil products for its customers in the Chinese market.

“The wholesale business of refined products has long been dominated by Chinese national oil companies and is typically reserved for Chinese companies,” says Kang Wu, head of S&P Global Platts Asia analytics. “The latest license to a wholly-owned foreign company is unique and set to increase the competitiveness of the wholesale market in China.” read more

Shell’s wind development division considers Britain, including the North Sea, to be a key offshore market: ARTERRA/UIG/GETTY IMAGES

Royal Dutch Shell is considering bidding for rights to develop offshore wind farms in British waters as the Anglo-Dutch oil major seeks to re-enter the UK sector after a ten-year absence.

Dorine Bosman, Shell’s vice-president of wind development, said that the company was interested in seabed leases that are due to be awarded this year by the Crown Estate. read more