Big Oil’s Long Bet on Hydrogen Offers a Climate Lifeline

(Bloomberg) — On particularly cold winter days, the vast majority of the U.K.’s energy comes from burning natural gas. That arrangement will have to change radically–and soon–if the country is to hit its legally mandated target of net-zero emissions by 2050. As other countries adopt similar targets to align with the Paris climate agreement, they too will have to find an alternative to natural gas. That leaves fossil fuel companies with a ticking clock.

Hydrogen burns cleanly, leaving only water behind. That’s made it an attractive alternative fuel source–not just for governments looking to satisfy climate mandates, but also for oil companies trying to ensure their continued relevance. Oil-and-gas majors such as Shell, Equinor, and BP have spent tens of millions of dollars on pilot projects. Now in the face of record-low oil prices, frozen international travel, and growing shareholder unease over greenhouse gas emissions, investing in hydrogen has taken on a new urgency. read more

Wells Fargo and Shell join in solar deal

By Steven Mufson: June 23, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. GMT+1

Wells Fargo will buy 150 megawatts of solar power from Shell Energy, a move that demonstrates widening corporate interest in renewable energy even among some of the strongest supporters of fossil fuels.

The deal is modest: Wells Fargo says the 150 megawatts, purchased from three locations in Virginia and one in California, would meet about 8 percent of its global energy needs.

But it carries symbolic value. Wells Fargo, the second-biggest lender to fossil fuel companies over the past four years, is buying carbon-free electricity from Shell, a company that’s been in the oil business since the 1880s. The deal also shows the appeal of solar projects even in the midst of the punishing economic downturn brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic. read more

Electric Car Charging Stations Are Finally About to Take Off

(Bloomberg) — The electric vehicle sector has been stuck for years with a chicken-and-egg problem. Until there were extensive networks of public charging stations, a critical mass of people would never feel comfortable driving EVs–but until a critical mass of people were driving EVs, there was no sense in investing in extensive networks of public charging stations.

It may be the coronavirus pandemic that finally breaks the stalemate. BloombergNEF’s latest Long-Term Electric Vehicle Outlook predicts that EVs sales will experience a smaller dip than traditional auto sales as a result of the broader economic squeeze, and that they’ll bounce back more quickly once the market recovers. EVs and the infrastructure needed to charge them have also been a part of many of the stimulus packages announced by European and Asian governments. Just in the past few weeks, Germany included chargers in its €2.5 billion proposed economic package, and the European Union announced that it’s aiming to have 1 million public chargers by 2025, from fewer than 200,000 today. read more

Shell and Total join UK floating offshore wind syndicate

By David McPhee: 22/06/2020

North Sea oil giants Shell and Total have joined a UK floating offshore wind consortium created to drive forward the technology.

The oil firms will work alongside offshore wind developers EDF Renewables, EDP Renewables, Equinor, ESB, Mainstream Renewable Power, ScottishPower Renewables and SSE Renewables as part of Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s national Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellence (FOWCoE). read more

Shell looks to Brazil solar power sales from farms that are due online in 2023

Luciano Costa: JUNE 9, 2020

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell PLC is ready to start negotiating with potential clients the sale of future solar power on Brazil’s free energy market from its first farms due to start operating in 2023, Shell’s solar business development manager for Latin America said.

In a telephone interview on Monday, Maria Gabriela da Rocha said the startup date would depend on the negotiations and was part of Shell’s strategy to move into renewable energy, betting on industries’ increasingly wanting to sign long-term clean energy contracts. read more

Shell boss ‘bothered’ by depiction of firm as ‘unwelcome player’ in energy transition

Royal Dutch Shell Plc had been turning out about 2.7 million barrels of oil each day until the novel coronavirus took hold of the world.

By Bloomberg: 09/06/2020

Demand for oil, the company’s core product, dropped almost a third in April, and the price of West Texas Intermediate briefly dipped into negative numbers for the first time.

It’s not easy to run an oil major when people suddenly stop needing oil.

Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden responded by slashing spending and cutting Shell’s dividend for the first time since World War II. read more

Nature based solutions: Shell Energy debuts new ‘carbon neutral’ tariffs

Energy giant launches new carbon offset tariffs, as polling shows majority of public think lockdown has made them more aware of climate impacts

James S Murray: 03 June 2020

Shell Energy Retail has this week launched two new ‘carbon neutral’ energy tariffs for British households, combining its existing 100 per cent renewable power offer with a promise to offset emissions from heating and cooking through investment in nature-based projects. read more

AMSTERDAM, May 7 (Reuters) – Shell Netherlands said on Thursday it bid in a tender last week to build a 760 MW wind farm off the Dutch coast, and it hopes to couple it with a large new hydrogen plant it would build in Rotterdam.

The Dutch subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell said it had entered a bid in the Hollandse Kust Noord tender, together with a subsidiary of Japan’s Mitsubishi.

Other known bidders in the tender, the latest in a series of such auctions by the Dutch government, include Orsted of Denmark. read more

Shadia Nasralla

LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) – The ongoing transition to low-carbon energy sources may accelerate as economies recover from the impact of the coronavirus crisis, the head of oil and gas company Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday.

Chief Executive Ben van Beurden said while Shell was not ringfencing its low-carbon Integrated Gas and New Energies division from spending cuts to weather the crisis, those businesses would be shielded from the worst of the reductions.

“Where possible, we try to spare (New Energies) a little bit and that is basically because we still believe that there is an energy transition underway which may even pick up speed in the recovery phase of this crisis and we want to be well positioned for it,” he said after Shell announced first-quarter results. read more

Royal Dutch Shell Plc plans to eliminate all net emissions from its own operations and the bulk of greenhouse gases from fuel it sells to customers by 2050.

The energy giant is following in the footsteps of its peers BP Plc and Repsol SA, which have already set similar targets. Shell’s move indicates that, despite the turmoil caused in the industry by the coronavirus, major oil and gas companies aren’t abandoning the transition to cleaner energy. read more

LONDON: Shell Energy Europe Limited, the energy marketing and trading division of Royal Dutch Shell has agreed a multi-year supply deal for power from a battery storage project in southwest England, the company said on Monday.

The 100-megawatt (MW) powerstorage project is backed by China Huaneng Group and Chinese sovereign wealth fund CNIC, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

The two 50-MW batteries will enable Shell Energy Europe and its subsidiary Limejump to use renewable power in the area, the firm said. read more

by Allister Thomas: 04/03/2020, 6:00 am

Bringing about the energy transition needs to make “economic sense” and be socially and environmentally sustainable, according to Shell’s chief technology officer.

Yuri Sebregts, the top scientist for the energy giant, said long-term solutions need to be “investible” and the move to a lower-carbon energy system “cannot happen based entirely on goodwill-funded developments”.

The Shell boss, speaking to EV at the Baker Hughes conference in Florence last month, said Shell’s near-term goals are to invest $2-3 billion annually on development of low-carbon technologies which could make an 8-12% return on investment and later be scaled up. read more

Monday February 17 2020, The Times

Royal Dutch Shell has thrown its weight behind a Chinese-backed energy storage venture building what is claimed to be Europe’s largest battery in Wiltshire.

The Anglo-Dutch energy group will use a 100-megawatt battery near the village of Minety to provide back-up electricity to the National Grid when supplies of wind and solar power dip. The battery can be charged when electricity is cheap and then discharged at peak times when prices are high.

The project has been bankrolled by CNIC, the Chinese investment fund, and China Huaneng Group, a state utility company that is also constructing the battery. read more

• Shell Australia describes the facility as its “first large-scale solar farm”.
• Queensland chosen as the project’s location because of reliable sunshine.

Shell Australia is set to construct and operate a solar farm made up of around 400,000 photovoltaic panels in the state of Queensland.

In an announcement Friday, Shell Australia described the facility as its “first large-scale solar farm” and said it would have a capacity of 120 megawatts.

Work on the project is set to finish in 2021, with Shell Australia saying up to 200 new jobs will be created during the construction phase.

Queensland was chosen as the project’s location because it had “some of the most reliable sunshine in the world”, the company added. The solar farm will help to power operations at the QGC onshore natural gas project and cut carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 300,000 tonnes a year. read more

Royal Dutch Shell Plc will build its first large-scale solar farm as part of its plan to expand into power generation.

Shell, which has set itself a goal to become the world’s top electricity producer by 2030, expects to complete the plant in Queensland, Australia, early next year. The facility will indirectly supply the company’s QGC liquefied natural gas export facility, reducing that project’s carbon footprint.

“Solar is one of the building blocks of Shell’s power strategy,” said Greg Joiner, Vice-President for Shell Energy in Australia. “We are increasingly incorporating renewable energy into customer offers, as we have done here for QGC.” read more

ROYAL Dutch Shell boss Ben van Beurden has said he sees no reason for the oil giant to curb investment in the North Sea amid concern about climate change insisting it has a key role to play in tackling the problem.

The Anglo-Dutch firm has come under attack from climate change campaigners who have disrupted operations off Scotland and blockaded the company’s North Sea headquarters in Aberdeen.

The company reckons it can support the development of clean energy systems while helping reduce emissions associated with the production and consumption of oil and gas that will be required to meet the needs of consumers and industry. read more

Research into the geothermal port of Rotterdam is entering the next phase, as reported by the Port of Rotterdam Authority.

Shell Geothermal BV and the Port of Rotterdam Authority are jointly investigating the options for geothermal energy in the western part of the port of Rotterdam. The two companies have received an exploration permit from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

In recent years, the subsurface has been well mapped out, partly as part of the UDG green deal. Obtaining the exploration permit means that Shell and the Port Authority will have time in the coming years to further develop their plan with the aim of developing geothermal heat projects in the western part of the port. Over the next two years, the emphasis will be on making agreements with potential geothermal energy buyers, working out the costs, determining a possible location for a test drilling and figuring out what the infrastructure can look like. It is also essential that geothermal heat can compete with energy from other sources. For the time being, doing a (test) drilling is not yet an issue. read more

At a service station just outside Gatwick, Royal Dutch Shell is experimenting with an alternative vision of the green motoring future. Beyond the main forecourt, where cars queue for petrol and diesel, lies another, smaller canopy that houses one of Britain’s first hydrogen refuelling pumps. While electric vehicles dominate the discussion about decarbonising transport, the term has become synonymous with batteries that must be plugged in and recharged.

Yet a significant number of heavyweight players — from carmakers such as Toyota, oil giants such as Shell and miners including Anglo American — are continuing to make a case for another type of electric vehicle, powered not by batteries but hydrogen. read more

In Germany, Daimler formed a joint venture with Linde, Royal Dutch Shell and Total to develop a network of hydrogen fueling stations.

URVAKSH KARKARIA

LAS VEGAS — Daimler, the world’s largest truck manufacturer, could commercialize a hydrogen-powered city bus in the next two to three years, r&d boss Markus Schäfer told reporters at CES last week.

While electrification is sweeping the passenger-car side of the industry, fuel cells are a more promising option for larger vehicles because they have better energy density than battery-electric vehicles.

Lithium ion battery chemistry currently struggles to deliver the range long-haul trucks require, Schäfer said. read more

by Tom Russell in Corporate 10/01/2020

Mark Gainsborough, Executive Vice President at Shell New Energies, has revealed that he is stepping down from his role after being involved with the company for 39 years. Gainsborough is to be replaced from 1st April by Elisabeth Brinton, who has been serving as Global VP Strategy & Portfolio for Shell New Energies.

Mark Gainsborough commented on LinkedIn: “It is time for a transition of a different kind! After an amazing 39 years with Shell and almost four years leading our New Energies business, I will end my Shell career later this year. I’m looking forward to contributing to the energy transition in new ways in the next few years. Congratulations to Elisabeth Brinton, who takes the reins from April 1st, and a huge thank you to everyone for all we have achieved together.” read more

EBN and Shell joining geothermal heat consortium in the Netherlands

FULL ARTICLE

Russia is not forcing Shell to buy its gas. Shell is also a big investor in solar power and is a 50% owner in offshore wind farms Atlantic Shores in New Jersey and the Mayflower Consortium in Massachusetts.

Kenneth Rapoza Senior Contributor: Dec 28, 2019

Last week’s announcement from the White House of a cease and desist order for the foreign firms building the Russia-to-Germany natural gas line may come about a year too late.

Nord Stream 2 was always seen as a slap in the face to Ukraine, once a main route into Europe for Gazprom’s natural gas from Russia. But Russia and Ukraine have since gone their separate ways, pulled closer into Europe and the U.S.’s orbit by both Washington and Brussels, and now Russia has opted to look for alternatives. read more

Dutch firms to study solar-to-hydrogen project

By Energy Reporters  | 18.12.2019

Dutch transmission operator Enexis, natural gas infrastructure firm Gasunie and oil producer Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) are in discussions over plans to convert spare solar power into hydrogen.

The three firms said a feasibility study was being conducted for sites owned by NAM, a joint venture formed by Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil, in Emmen and Drenthe with the results expected in the middle of next month. 

Enexis said: “The research is examining the conditions under which it is feasible to directly convert locally generated sustainable energy into hydrogen. And whether that energy can be transported via existing gas pipelines to customers so that this green energy still contributes to the energy transition.” read more

Giles Parkinson: 16 December 2019

The head of Shell Australia, Zoe Yujnovich said the two acquisitions – Esco and ERM Power – would enable Shell to supply more and cleaner energy to utility, commercial and industrial customers in Australia.

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has snapped up a near half share in one of the biggest solar developers in Australia as part of a major push to expand its large-scale solar operations in the country.

Shell – fresh from the purchase of ERM Power – a major generator and retailer to small and big business – announced the purchase on Monday of a 49 per cent stake in Esco Pacific, saying it intended to accelerate the development of its large-scale solar projects, and to add to its pipeline. read more

The above extracts are from Trustpilot, Facebook Group: Shell Energy (formerly First Utility) – the worst customer service ever?? and First Utility Reviews

The Shell Energy gripe website is being launched in response to consumer horror stories involving debt collectors and bailiffs, with complaints posted online by outraged Shell Energy customers like the damning examples quoted in the above header.

By John Donovan

Shell and its shareholders will not welcome the news that I am launching another website later this month focussed on Shell. This time the target is Shell Energy, a global brand of rapidly growing importance and value to the parent company – Royal Dutch Shell Plc – in its quest to move away from an increasingly toxic fossil fuel-based business. Part of the gathering flight of ethical investors deserting Big Oil, in Shell’s case a transition into becoming a global energy and broadband company, instead of a dying oil giant. read more

By Brian Eckhouse: 12 December 2019, 19:00 GMT

A Royal Dutch Shell Plc-backed solar developer commissioned a solar project in Georgia that will help power a Facebook Inc. data center.

Silicon Ranch Corp.’s 102.5-megawatt plant in Early County is Facebook’s first solar project in Georgia, and was developed as part of an agreement with local utility Walton Electric Membership Corp. It uses Hanwha Q Cells Co. modules that were produced at the manufacturer’s new factory in the state.

Walton Electric recently signed a deal with Silicon Ranch for another solar project in the state that will power the Facebook data center. The 107-megawatt facility in Denton is expected to be commissioned in 2021. Facebook has signed almost 950 megawatts of clean power-supply agreements this year, the third-most globally among corporations, according to BloombergNEF. read more

On-demand electric ride-share launched in Amsterdam

Christopher Care: 5th December 2019

Ride-share operator ViaVan has partnered with Shell to launch an on-demand electric service in Amsterdam.

The project will combine Shell’s fast-charging infrastructure in the Dutch capital with ViaVan’s electric vehicle fleet to improve routing information to available chargers nearby.

The company claims this includes a “routing algorithm” that maximises the range and battery utilisation of vehicles, monitors the real-time battery status of the fleet, calculates upcoming charging tasks and intelligently routes vehicles to Shell charging stations. read more

DECEMBER 4, 2019

Extracts

(Reuters) – Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai will replace Larry Page as CEO of parent Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), heralding a new chapter for the company that helped reshape the global tech industry under its co-founders Page and Sergey Brin.

To grow beyond its main search and advertising business, Google restructured in 2015 and established Alphabet as a holding company overseeing various “other bets”, ranging from its autonomous vehicle unit to helium balloons that provide solar-powered internet services in remote areas. read more

Shell to Continue Search in Renewables After Losing Eneco Tender

By Reuters

Nov. 25, 2019, 6:01 a.m. ET

LONDON — Royal Dutch Shell said on Monday it was disappointed to lose a tender for Dutch renewable energy business Eneco which went to a group led by Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp for 4.1 billion euros ($4.52 billion).

The Anglo-Dutch oil and gas company said in a statement it “will continue to look for opportunities in the energy transition” and aims to invest $2 to $3 billion per year from 2021 onwards.

(Reporting by Ron Bousso; editing by Jason Neely) read more

Shell Says We Have to Decarbonize Planet Earth

We have to decarbonize planet earth in the coming decades.

That’s what Ed Daniels, head of strategy at Shell, stated during a presentation at Web Summit on Tuesday in Lisbon, Portugal, which was attended by Rigzone.

“I feel an immense amount of responsibility that our company along with governments and society has to do,” Daniels told audience members during the presentation, which included a Q&A session with Neanda Salvaterra, an energy reporter at The Wall Street Journal.

“I’m simultaneously energized and frightened by the scale of the challenge,” Daniels added. read more

by David McPhee: 05/11/2019, 9:38 amUpdated: 05/11/2019, 11:08 am

Oil giant Shell has today announced a deal to buy up a 100% stake in a French floating wind firm.

Shell has agreed to purchase 100% of Brittany-headquartered Eolfi, a French renewable energy developer specialising in floating wind projects.

The firm said the deal would “enhance” Shell’s existing wind team and a floating wind pilot project – in conjunction with Innogy and Stiesdal Offshore Technologies.

It said the deal was also “a significant step for Shell in France”, where Shell will look to grow its offshore wind business. read more

Bloomberg: Shell and EDP to Build Massachusetts’ Second Offshore Wind Farm

Christopher Martin: Bloomberg News Oct. 31, 2019, 7:01 PM

*Partners are planning to complete 804-megawatt project in 2025

*Mayflower wind farm will be about 20 miles south of Nantucket

Massachusetts picked a venture of Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Energias de Portugal SA to build the state’s second offshore wind farm.

The 804-megawatt Mayflower wind farm will be built about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of the island of Nantucket and completed in 2025, according to a statement late Wednesday.

The other Massachusetts project, Vineyard Wind, is expected to become the first major offshore U.S. wind farm with 800 megawatts of capacity. That’s planned for completion in 2022.

It’s being developed by Iberdrola SA’s Avangrid utility and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, and was delayed in August for an additional… read more

October 18, 2019

Greenlots, a subsidiary of Shell New Energies, has announced its participation in the development of the world’s largest electric vehicle charging network.

Greenlots EV chargers will be installed in Ford’s FordPass Charging network.

The Charging Network will be launched in 2020 and will allow Ford EV drivers to charge seamlessly across all the major charging networks in the US and select regions in Canada.

The network is the first of its kind rollout in the EV market and is to accelerate the adoption of electrified transportation across North America. read more

By Timothy Abington and Kelly Gilblom: 4 September 2019, 07:00 BST: Updated on 4 September 2019, 11:11 BST

*European majors close many more deals than their U.S. rivals

*Digital and efficiency technologies become popular targets

Major oil companies are poised to do a record number of clean-energy deals this year, with Royal Dutch Shell Plc leading a group of European companies that are well ahead of their U.S. rivals.

The data compiled by BloombergNEF underscore the quickening pace of the transition to low-carbon energy among the world’s largest fossil fuel producers, and the scale of the trans-Atlantic divide. European majors closed seven times as many deals with renewable-electricity and storage companies as their U.S. counterparts since 2010. read more

Shell India invests in $7.7 million in biomass firm

AUG 30, 2019

Shell India has made a $7.7 million (€6.9 million) investment in a local biomass firm. Punjab Renewable Energy, backed by Neev Fund and responsibility, will use the fresh investment to expand its business in the bioenergy sector.

The company was established in 2011 and is involved in the collection, processing, storage and supply of biomass including paddy straw, cotton stalk, soya husk, maize cob and mustard stalk, which it provides to clients for energy or conversion into biofuels, according to a report by VCCircle. read more

Shell, Equinor, SSE back new project to address offshore wind ‘barriers’

by David McPhee: 27/8/2019

Some of the world’s biggest energy firms are backing a new project aimed at addressing current barriers in the UK offshore wind market.

The second stage of the Offshore Renewable Joint Industry Project (ORJIP) programme, announced by the Carbon Trust, said it aims to reduce consenting risk, project maturation time, cost and the environmental impact of new and existing UK offshore wind farms.

The new four-year programme will be funded by public and private partners.

EDF Renewables, EDP Renewables, E.On, Equinor, Innogy, Marine Scotland, Red Rock Power, Shell, SSE Renewables and the Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland are all involved. read more

Matthew Stevens Columnist: 23 August 2019

Shell Australia’s $617 million pitch for electricity trader and generator ERM Powerstands as the most tangible expression yet of the transition mission that the local outpost of the petroleum super major set for itself more than three years ago.

Back in June 2017, in a move that foreshadowed co-ordinated global ambitions in electricity only recently fully enunciated by the legendary mother ship, Shell Australia revealed its strategic hand by establishing an energy trading business in Melbourne. read more

Shell debuts electric vehicle chargers in Singapore, first in Southeast Asia

By Reuters• last updated: 19/08/2019 – 08:13

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell <RDSa.L> is launching electric vehicle chargers at petrol stations in Singapore, its first such foray in Southeast Asia, the company said on Monday.

The electric vehicle charging service, ‘Shell Recharge’, will be available at 10 Shell petrol stations in Singapore by October, this year or about 20% of its retail network in the city-state, the company said in a statement.

It added that the chargers typically provide from 0% to 80% charge in about 30 minutes, and are compatible with most electric vehicles in Singapore. read more

Rooftop solar at Shell units in Europe, Asia to generate 7,500 MWh a year

The panels can result in the avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions of about 4,500 tonne on a CO2-equivalent basis per year, equivalent to taking about 2,600 cars off the road for one year, a statement by the company said.

August 06, 2019, 07:42 IST

New Delhi: Lubricants major Shell on Monday said it is installing solar photovoltaic panels on the roofs of seven of its plants in India, China, Italy, Singapore and Switzerland, which would generate 7,500 MWh of power annually.

The panels can result in the avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions of about 4,500 tonne on a CO2-equivalent basis per year, equivalent to taking about 2,600 cars off the road for one year, a statement by the company said.

Combined, they are expected to generate over 7,500 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity a year, it added. read more

Electrive

UK: Shell installs its first ultra-rapid charger in London

Jul 4, 2019

Shell has installed a 150 kW ultra-rapid EV charger at a petrol station in Battersea, south London. The charger is now available for public use alongside the already existing 50 kW rapid chargers from Allego.

The charger is part of the Shell Recharge service. The 150kW charger has been installed alongside the station’s existing 50kW rapid chargers. Maker and operator Allego will continue to maintain and service the chargers which make up Shell Recharge.

Allego’s chief executive Anja van Niersen welcomed the installation, stressing that “electric vehicle drivers want the right charging solution at the right place, to be always available and combined with excellent services. Shell Recharge shows how these wishes can be met.” read more

Clara Denina, Stephen Jewkes, Toby Sterling: JUNE 24, 2019 / 4:43PM

LONDON (Reuters) – A domestic consortium set up by Royal Dutch Shell and pension fund manager PGGM has taken a bigger lead in the race for Dutch energy company Eneco as two other contenders have dropped out, sources close to the matter said.

French oil and gas company Total SA and Italy’s electricity giant Enel, which had teamed up with Dutch pension fund manager APG, have both withdrawn their non-binding offers, said the sources.

One of the sources added that APG was now looking for a new partner.

Infrastructure fund Macquarie and Japan’s biggest trading house Mitsubishi Corp are also still in the race for the company estimated by analysts to be worth about 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion), sources said. One said French nuclear energy utility EDF had also made a non-binding offer. read more

by David McPhee: 20/06/2019, 1:28 pm

Work on Shell’s first solar plant in the Netherlands is complete, according to engineering and construction firm Wood.

The Moerdijk Solar PV Plant is a 27 megawatt (MW) development near the city of Breda.

The new plant holds 76,000 solar PV panels and is one of the country’s largest facilities.

Wood, who acted as Shell’s engineering contractor throughout the project, provided Shell’s clean energy team with “technical procurement expertise” during the 16-month contract. read more

A Shell North Sea boss has said he “agrees” with many of the climate campaigners who took to the streets of the UK’s major cities in April.

by David McPhee: 06/06/2019

Steve Phimister, Shell’s UK vice president for upstream, said yesterday during Oil and Gas UK’s (OGUK) industry conference that he thinks the country needs to take decisive action on the issue of climate change.

But he added that it did not include “abandoning” oil and gas.

Mr Phimister claimed he “agrees with the view from the climate protestors” of the need to move to a net zero carbon target “quickly”.

He added: “I understand why these activists were calling for this change, and it would be easy to assume that we all and those folk are on the opposite side of the conversation, but I don’t see it that way. read more

Shell is to return $125bn over five years through dividends and share buybacks

That’s more than double the $52bn handed between 2011 and 2015

Energy group expects new projects will generate $35billion

By CAMILLA CANOCCHI FOR THISISMONEY.CO.UK

PUBLISHED: 15:03, 4 June 2019 | UPDATED: 16:15, 4 June 2019

Shares in Royal Dutch Shell fell despite the oil and gas giant revealing plans to return $125billion (£99billion) to shareholders over five years through dividends and share buybacks.

This is more than double the $52million (£41billion) handed to shareholders between 2011 and 2015.

Shell said it expects to pay for that with money from new projects, which it expects will generate $35billion, assuming oil remains priced at $60 per barrel. read more

Shell plans to boost returns and become a force in power

LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell outlined plans on Tuesday to boost shareholder returns after 2020, while also increasing spending on oil, gas and power, as it capitalizes on years of cost cutting to prepare for a lower carbon future.

In a strategy update, the Anglo-Dutch energy company said it was on track to deliver on its commitment to sharply increase cash generation and carry out one of the world’s largest share buyback programs of $25 billion by the end of next year.

It then plans to increase payouts to investors through dividends and share buybacks to $125 billion between 2021 and 2025, roughly half of its current market value. That compares with payouts of around $90 billion between 2016 and 2020.

While offering sweeteners to investors, Shell also outlined plans to increase spending in the next decade to grow its gas, oil, renewables and power output. read more

APRIL 7, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – An activist group said it has withdrawn a shareholder resolution calling on Royal Dutch Shell to change its climate policy after the oil and gas company reached a broad agreement with investors on the issue.

The Anglo-Dutch energy company drew rare praise from investors and environmental activists in December when it set out plans to introduce industry-leading targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and link them to executive pay.

Nevertheless, Dutch activist group Follow This tabled several days later a resolution urging Shell to drastically reduce its spending on fossil fuel. read more

by Josh Siegel: April 04, 2019 12:00 AM

Shell’s move to leave a trade group because of its climate change position is being met with skepticism from fossil fuel critics and energy producers alike, because Shell remains in other groups that oppose policies to address climate change.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., perhaps the harshest critic of the oil and gas industry, said that Shell’s decision to leave American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers “begs the question as to how Shell justifies continued membership in the much larger lobbying behemoths that spend millions opposing the climate action Shell claims to support.” read more

Ron Bousso: 2 April 2019

* Shell to leave AFPM in 2020 over climate “misalignment”

* Shell releases first report on links with industry groups

* Investor welcomes report as “industry first”

LONDON, April 2 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc on Tuesday became the first major oil and gas company to announce plans to leave a leading U.S. refining lobby due to disagreement on climate policies, citing its support for the goals of the Paris climate agreement.

In its first review of its association with 19 key industry groups, Shell said it had found “material misalignment” over climate policy with the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and would quit the body in 2020. read more