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May, 2019:

Shell Vows Not To Return Pumping Oil In Troubled Nigerian Region

Earlier this month, a Dutch court ruled that it had the jurisdiction and would hear a damages lawsuit against Shell brought by the widows of activists executed by Nigeria’s government after the protests in Ogoniland in the 1990s.

By Tsvetana Paraskova May 27, 2019, 4:00 PM CDT

The Nigerian unit of Royal Dutch Shell doesn’t have any plans to return to exploring or producing oil in Ogoniland in Nigeria’s Rivers state after it ceased operations there in the 1990s, Igo Weli, General Manager, External Relations, at the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) said this weekend at the release of Shell Nigeria’s 2019 Briefing Notes.

SPDC, as operator of the SPDC Joint Venture, carried out exploration and production operations in Ogoniland from the 1950s until the early 1990s. Production ceased in 1993 following a rise in violence, threats to staff, and attacks on facilities, Shell said. read more

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Shell sees significant oil discovery in Albania

Benet Kolek: MAY 24 2019

TIRANA (Reuters) – Shell Upstream Albania B.V. said on Friday initial tests showed “a flow potential of several thousand barrels of oil per day” from its Shpirag 4 well in central Albania, and it needed more work to determine its commercial volume.

“We are pleased that these initial tests have confirmed the potential of this discovery and look forward to growing our business in Albania,” Marc Gerrits, Shell’s Executive Vice-President of Exploration, said.

The Shpirag 4 well west of Berat had confirmed the flow potential of a significant light oil discovery, it added. read more

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Dutch government to review Groningen gas plans after latest quake

By: , SA News Editor: 22 MAY 2019

A 3.4 magnitude earthquake has hit the northern Dutch region of Groningen in the latest in a series of tremors blamed on decades of gas extraction.

The Dutch government says it will decide in the coming weeks whether the quake should lead to a change in plans to end production from the Groningen field by 2030.

The government has pledged to end production from the field by 2030 and to lower it as quickly as possible in coming years; output is set to fall to 19.4B cm in the year through October 2019, down from a peak of 54B cm in 2013. read more

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Shell Carbon-Capture Plant Hits 4 Million Ton Milestone Early

By Kevin Orland: 23 May 2019, 12:00 BST

*Canadian project has seen better-than-expected reliability

*Adviser sees more activity in carbon-utilization projects

A Royal Dutch Shell Plc-operated carbon capture and storage project in Canada has hit a milestone of sequestering 4 million tons of carbon dioxide about six months ahead of schedule and at a lower cost than estimated, helped by better-than-expected reliability.

The Quest facility, which sequesters emissions from the Scotford Upgrader near Edmonton, Alberta, started up in November 2015 and has since run ahead of its target of capturing 1 million tons of carbon a year, said Anne Halladay, a geophysicist who has been an adviser on the project since it was in construction in 2014. That performance has been driven by less unplanned maintenance than projected and more efficient performance, including less chemical usage, she said. read more

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Shell starts production at Appomattox in the Gulf of Mexico

PR Newswire:

HOUSTON, May 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Royal Dutch Shell plc, through its subsidiary Shell Offshore Inc (Shell) announces today that production has started at the Shell-operated Appomattox floating production system months ahead of schedule, opening a new frontier in the deep-water US Gulf of Mexico. Appomattox, which currently has an expected production of 175,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d), is the first commercial discovery now brought into production in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico Norphlet formation.

“That Appomattox was safely brought online ahead of schedule and far under budget is a testament to our ongoing commitment to drive down costs through efficiency improvements during execution,” said Andy Brown, Upstream Director, Royal Dutch Shell. “Appomattox creates a core long-term hub for Shell in the Norphlet through which we can tie back several already discovered fields as well as future discoveries.”

Appomattox is a story of efficiency through innovation. By way of optimised development planning, better designs and fabrication, and expert drilling execution, Appomattox has realised cost reductions of more than 40% since taking final investment decision in 2015. The start of production at Appomattox is only just the beginning of further maximising the flow of resources in the prolific Norphlet surrounding Appomattox.

Shell’s global deep-water business has a strong funnel of development and exploration opportunities in Brazil, the US, Mexico, Nigeria, Malaysia, Mauritania, and the Western Black Sea.  Production worldwide is on track to reach more than 900,000 boe/d by 2020 from already discovered, established reservoirs. The company continues to be one of the largest leaseholders in the US deep water and remains one of the most prolific offshore producers of oil and natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico. Shell designs and operates its deep-water projects to be competitive and, since 2014, has reduced its unit development costs and unit operating costs by about 45%.

Cautionary Note

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc

directly and indirectly

owns investments are separate legal entities. In this release “Shell”, “Shell group” and “Royal Dutch Shell” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ”Subsidiaries”, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this release refer to entities over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as “joint ventures” and “joint operations”, respectively.  Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control read more

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Shell Launches Its Most Advanced Premium Fuel

Shell V-Power NiTRO+ can be found across the country at roughly 13,000 Shell-branded stations. 21 MAY 2019

HOUSTON — Shell Oil Co. debuted its latest premium gasoline, Shell V-Power NiTRO+, at forecourts across the United States on May 20.

The new formulation is engineered with four levels of defense against gunk, wear, corrosion and now friction to help keep engines running like new. According to the company, it is the brand’s most advanced fuel and the result of more than a century of Shell fuels innovation.

Shell V-Power NiTRO+ now includes the brand’s proprietary technology to help reduce friction in your engine and improve efficiency, furthering the brand’s competitive advantage. It can be found across the country at roughly 13,000 Shell-branded stations. read more

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Shell reveals only its gas subsidiary paid Dutch corporate tax in 2018

MAY 21, 2019 / 2:51 PM

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell revealed on Tuesday that in 2018 only its gas subsidiary NAM paid corporate tax in the Netherlands, where it is headquartered, following Dutch parliamentary demands that it attend a hearing on tax avoidance.

“By giving openness before the round table, hopefully room will be created for the conversation to be about the substance,” Shell said, adding that it paid $10 billion in corporate tax globally in 2018 and had an effective tax rate of 33 percent. read more

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Shell considers plan for Louisiana chemicals plant

|About: Royal Dutch Shell plc (RDS.A)|By: , SA News Editor

Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B) subsidiary Shell Chemical reportedly is advancing feasibility studies for a potential $1.2B expansion of monoethylene glycol production at its Geismar, La., chemicals complex.

As part of the project, Shell would build an MEG plant at the site that it could approve as early as 2020, pending final engineering, design and investment decisions, according to the Louisiana Economic Development. read more

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Shell in court over Moerdijk blast, faces maximum fine of €2.4m

MAY 15, 2019

The public prosecution department says Shell should pay the maximum fine of €2.4m for the explosion on the Moerdijk industrial estate in 2014 and a further €250,000 for not taking immediate action to halt the leak of a dangerous gas in 2016.

Shell should pay the maximum fine for the explosion because it had not done all it could to prevent the blast taking place, placing both workers and local residents in danger, the prosecutor said at a court hearing in Den Bosch 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.

Shell to spend $1.5billion on UK decommissioning through to 2025

Shell is expected to spend $1.5bn (£1.152bn) on decommissioning in the North Sea over the next six years, according to a new forecast.

FULL ARTICLE

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Chevron Bows Out Of Anadarko Fight, Oxy Jet Trip Suggests Shell Might Step Up

By Irina Slav – May 09, 2019, 9:30 AM CDT

A report that Occidental Petroleum’s corporate jet traveled to the Hague, one of Shell’s two home towns, has sparked a fresh flare-up of speculation regarding its proposed acquisition of Anadarko, CNBC reports, citing an unnamed source.

The news comes after reports on Thursday suggest that Chevron is bowing out of the fight to acquire Anadarko, despite some analysts thinking that it would up its offer to compete with Occidental’s. Chevron will be entitled to a $1 billion breakup fee per the terms of the original agreement. 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.

Royal Dutch Shell to invest $2 billion per year in Brazil: newspaper

MAY 9, 2019: SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell PLC has plans to invest about $2 billion per year in Brazil through 2025, Chief Executive Ben van Beurden told newspaper Valor Econômico in an exclusive interview.

Its investment plans could be increased to allow the company to bid in three upcoming oil and gas auctions, Valor reported in its Thursday edition based on the interview.

Royal Dutch Shell will not focus exclusively on oil projects, the report said. It is interested in exploring opportunities in natural gas, biofuels and the solar energy sector, Valor said. read more

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Germany makes formal objection to Shell’s Brent decommissioning plans

The German government has made a formal objection to Shell’s plans to decommission the Brent field in the North Sea.

by Allister Thomas and Mark Lammey: 09/05/2019

Shell submitted plans in 2017 which proposed to leave the huge concrete legs of three of the four Brent platforms in place, prompting outcry from environmental groups.

Germany’s environment ministry commissioned a new report on the plans from Aberdeen-based consultancy Scientia et Sagacitas, which has highlighted “major issues” with Shell’s assessments.

The UK and Germany are both part of Ospar, an international agreement with several European countries to protect the marine environment. read more

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Gulf of Mexico about shift in mindset, says Shell VP

By Mark Lammey: 6 MAY 2019

Deep-water Gulf of Mexico has always been about making the impossible possible, according to Rick Tallant, Shell’s vice-president of production for the region.

Now, Shell is trying to make the possible affordable, he said.

Mr Tallant said companies had to do a lot of “soul searching” during the downturn to work out how the industry could survive and compete with Brazil, West Africa and parts of Asia.

A shift in the industry’s mindset and culture was vital in the quest to reinvent itself and get “fit for the future” in the GoM, he said.

Shell spent a lot of time focusing on lowering operating costs and investing more wisely, which meant embracing standardisation, harnessing the local supply chain, and vastly improving performance management. read more

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Shell pursuing $1B exit from Indonesia LNG project – Reuters

May 3, 2019 9:04 AM ET|About: Royal Dutch Shell plc (RDS.A)|By: , SA News Editor

Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B) is moving to sell its stake in Indonesia’s $15B Abadi liquefied natural gas project, Reuters reports, part of its ongoing asset disposal program to raise cash to help pay for its $54B purchase of BG Group in 2015.

Shell hopes to raise ~$1B from the sale of its 35% stake in the Abadi project, according to the report.

Project construction was due to start in 2018 but was delayed in 2016 until at least 2020 after Indonesian authorities instructed a switch from an offshore to an onshore facility. 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.

Shell working hard on ‘best outcome’ for Brent decom, CFO says

Oil giant Shell yesterday cited a “strong start to 2019” and increased pre-tax profits as the reason for implementing a bullish share buyback programme.

The firm announced it intends to repurchase almost £20 billion shares by 2025, with the first tranche expected to see it re-aquire £2.1bn over the next three months.

Shell pre-tax profits rose to £7.2bn for Q1 if this year, compared to £6.3bn over the same period in 2018.

But, by Shell’s own preferred method of reporting it also experienced a 7% drop in statutory earnings and a 2% fall in underlying earnings.

Chief executive Ben van Beurden said the firm had delivered “robust results” despite challenging market conditions. read more

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Shell not ‘desperate’ to grow US shale despite Anadarko sale: CFO

London — Shell is keen to grow its US shale oil portfolio but does not feel pressured to chase new acquisitions, as Occidental and Chevron battle for control of Anadarko’s Permian-rich upstream assets, Shell Chief Financial Officer Jessica Uhl said Thursday.

Shell doesn’t “need” to do a US shale deal as it already has a strong US portfolio of shale and tight oil, which has further room for volume growth, Uhl said.

“We have significant growth capacity in our existing position and, in that sense, we are not desperate. We don’t need to find new shale exposure … but we like the business,” Uhl told analysts on an earnings call. read more

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Shell boss hails ‘huge step up’ in North Sea performance

By Mark Williamson: Group Business Correspondent

ROYAL Dutch Shell finance chief Jessica Uhl has hailed a “huge step up” in performance by the company in the North Sea and underlined the fact it sees big potential in the area.

Speaking after Shell became the latest giant to report a fall in profits amid renewed oil price volatility, Ms Uhl made clear the oil giant’s focus in the North Sea has shifted to growth after a period of retrenchment. read more

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Court Rules Against Shell Over Killing of Ogoni Leaders

The court ordered that the case should not be time-barred, while also granting the prayers of the plaintiffs that Shell should hand over the confidential internal documents to the plaintiffs’ lawyers

Lawyer Channa Samkalden, and two Ogoni Nine widows, Esther Kiobel (centre) and Victoria Bera (right) in the Dutch Court

BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK: MAY 02, 2019

The District Court of the Hague has issued an interim ruling in favour of wives of Ogoni leaders killed in 1995 during the military era of Sani Abacha.

The case, which was instituted by four wives of the slain leaders — Esther Kiobel, Victoria Bera, Blessing Eawo and Charity Levula — accused Shell of being involved in the decision by the Nigerian government that led to the killing of their husbands.

The plaintiffs are also calling on the court to order Shell to hand over more than 100,000 internal documents crucial to the case. Shell’s lawyers have refused to do so, even though these documents were submitted as evidence in the US case.

Shell had said that the Dutch court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case, but the court ordered that the case must continue.

In its ruling on Wednesday, the court ordered that the case should not be time barred, while also granting the prayers of the plaintiffs that Shell should hand over the confidential internal documents to the plaintiffs’ lawyers, and that they would have the opportunity to examine witnesses.

Amnesty International, an international human rights organization, supported Kiobel’s legal team to bring the case to the Netherlands in 2017, and detailed Shell’s role in the arrests and executions in a briefing. 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.

Shell to ship first cargo of LNG from Australia’s Prelude in Q2: CFO

London — Shell expects to ship its first LNG cargo from its Australian floating LNG production facility, Prelude in the second quarter, its CFO Jessica Uhl said Thursday.

Speaking after the release of its Q1 earnings, Uhl said the first LNG would follow the shipment of the first condensate cargo from Prelude last month.

Prelude FLNG is one of the most anticipated LNG projects in recent years due to its deployment as the world’s largest floating facility, though it has experienced delays due to unspecified production issues. read more

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Shell beats profit expectations on strong trading, LNG

Ron Bousso: MAY 2, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell reported on Thursday a small drop in first quarter profit to $5.4 billion, but still easily beat forecasts, helped by stronger trading and liquefied natural gas earnings.

Shell’s results outshone those of rivals Exxon Mobil, Chevron and BP which all saw sharp declines in profits in the first three months of the year as a result of lower refining margins and weaker crude and gas prices.

Shell shares were up 1.4 percent shortly after trading opened.

“Shell has made a strong start to 2019,” Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said in a statement.

“Our integrated value chain enabled our Downstream business to deliver robust results despite challenging market conditions.” 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.

UPDATE 1-Two Shell oil workers rescued after Nigeria Delta region kidnapping -police

By Tife Owolabi: Reuters

LAGOS, April 30 (Reuters) – Two Royal Dutch Shell oil workers who were kidnapped in Nigeria’s southern Niger Delta region last week have been rescued, a police spokesman and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) said on Tuesday.

Kidnappings for ransom occur in much of Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer, but are particularly prevalent in the Niger Delta which produces the majority of the country’s crude oil.

The pair were attacked in southern Rivers state last week while returning from an official trip to Bayelsa state. read more

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North Sea exploration pioneer wins fresh vote of confidence from Shell

By Mark Williamson: Group Business Correspondent

ROYAL Dutch Shell has underlined its faith in the exploration potential of the North Sea by buying in to a licence a relative minnow has been working on.

The oil and gas giant has exercised an option to acquire a stake in acreage containing a prospect it is thought could hold 290 billion cubic feet gas from Cluff Natural Resources.

Shell will pay $600,000 for the 50 per cent stake and has agreed to fund 75 per cent of the cost of drilling an exploration well, up to a maximum of $25 million. 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.