DutchNews.nl

Damning report slams state, oil companies for Groningen gas failures

February 24, 2023 – By Robin Pascoe

The interests of the people of Groningen were systematically ignored by both the government and oil companies, and making money remained the dominant concern when natural gas extraction started causing earthquakes, according to the parliamentary commission set up to investigate.

The worlds of those making the decisions and the locals were ‘miles apart’, commission chief Tom van der Lee said at the presentation of the report into the problems, which has taken two years and hundreds of interviews to complete.

Gas extraction has become an ‘unprecedented system failure’ and both the public and private sector have failed in their duties, Van der Lee said.

Ministers were not properly informed and that meant that MPs could not fulfill their role as guardians of the public interest. The damage, both material and mental, suffered by locals was consistently underestimated and the maximalisation of profit was the guiding force. read more

“Gas extraction in Groningen was so successful and lucrative for the Dutch government, Shell and Exxon Mobil that they hardly took any notion of the long-term risks and the ever-clearer signs of the detrimental effects for the people in Groningen…” 

REUTERS

Dutch gov’t, Shell and Exxon ignored Groningen risks for years, inquiry finds

AMSTERDAM, Feb 24 (Reuters) – The Dutch government and energy companies Shell (SHEL.L) and Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) ignored the risks of gas production in Groningen for years, to the detriment of people living in the province, a parliamentary inquiry concluded on Friday.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte and others involved “gravely underestimated” the urgency of the problems in Groningen, said the committee set up to investigate the decades of lucrative gas extraction that caused tremors damaging thousands of houses and buildings in the region.

The massive Groningen field is operated by Shell and Exxon joint venture NAM and was one of Europe’s major suppliers of natural gas for decades.

“These are hard and painful conclusions,” Rutte told a news conference. “They make clear there is a lot to do to help the region and to hopefully restore trust.”

The government will take time provide a full response to the report, he said without indicating how long that would take.

A statement from NAM director Johan Atema said: “It is clear that we need to have a better eye for the society in which we work. It is up to us to show that we as a company have learned from this.” read more

…problems included repeated outages at its Prelude liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility off the western coast of Australia…

REUTERS

Shell CEO creates chief of staff role in management overhaul

By Ron Bousso: February 23, 2023: 4:15 PM GMT

LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) – Shell (SHEL.L) Chief Executive Officer Wael Sawan has created a senior role of chief of staff as part of a management overhaul to improve performance after technical problems and other disruption, three company sources said. read more

OILPRICE.COM

Netherlands To Shut Down Europe’s Largest Gas Field

By Irina Slav – Jan 23, 2023, 7:30 AM CST

The Dutch government plans to close the Groningen gas field this year despite Europe’s precarious supply position. Groningen is the largest gas field in Europe.

The field is dangerous, a government official from the Hague told the Financial Times, and the government has no plans to boost production from it.

“We won’t open up more because of the safety issues,” Hans Vijbrief told the FT. “It is politically totally unviable. But apart from that, I’m not going to do it because it means that you increase the chances of earthquakes, which I don’t want to be responsible for.” read more

BBC News

Man hit with £29k Shell Energy bill after supplier error

24 Jan 2023

A man has been hit with a £29,000 energy bill following a mistake by his supplier.

Patrick Collins, from Henley, Oxfordshire, said attempts to resolve the problem with Shell Energy had so far failed.

The bill was his first from the firm after his previous supplier, Green Energy, went bust in 2021.

After being contacted by the BBC, Shell Energy said it accepted Mr Collins did not owe £29,000.

It added it was working to rectify the problem. read more

The most recent incident happened only a year after a similar fire forced the vessel to go down for nearly five months.

Shell’s Prelude FLNG Restarts First Cargo Since Fire

Zacks Equity Research: Mon, January 23, 2023 

Shell SHEL recently announced the restart of liquefied natural gas LNG cargoes from its Prelude floating LNG FLNG facility offshore Australia, following a temporary fire-related technical outage in December.

According to Shell, the fire was promptly put out and the area was declared safe; it also stated that no one was hurt and all of the facility’s workers were safe and well.

Following a small fire at the 3.6M metric tons/year facility, Prelude, the largest floating plant for natural gas liquefaction in the world, had paused its gas production last month due to an ongoing investigation. read more

RIGZONE

Prelude FLNG Loads Out First Cargo Since Fire

by Bojan Lepic| Rigzone Staff| Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Even though Shell has not confirmed any restart on its massive Prelude FLNG, Reuters reported that the Methane Becki Anne LNG tanker has begun loading.

The Methane Becki Anne was the first LNG tanker to berth at Shell’s Prelude floating LNG site off Western Australia since it was shut down after a fire.

According to Reuters, the LNG carrier vessel berthed at the Prelude plant on January 17, Refinitiv ship-tracking data showed. Refinitiv’s data also showed that LNG has already begun loading. read more

Report: Output from Shell’s Prelude FLNG Shut Again

BY Bartolomej Tomic, managing editor of Offshore Engineer.

December 22, 2022

Shell has stopped production at its Prelude floating LNG plant off Western Australia after a fire.

A Shell spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday that the fire at the giant FLNG unit “was rapidly extinguished.”

The 488-meter-long, Shell-operated, Prelude FLNG unit forms part of an offshore development that produces natural gas from the remote namesake field, located approximately 475 km north-northeast of Broome in Western Australia. The Prelude is the world’s largest FLNG unit. read more

The Sunday Times Business Person of the Year 2022: The shortlist

Sunday December 11 2022, 12.01am, The Sunday Times

In a year buffeted by war, falling markets and government upheaval, we present the shortlist for the business person who has stood out above the rest

Ben van Beurden, Shell

The Dutchman will call time on a 40-year career at Shell in 2023, having spent nine years in the hot seat. He gambled early in his tenure on the £36 billion takeover of gas giant BG Group, relocated Shell’s head office to London, and cut its dividend when the oil price tanked during Covid. But the company has surged this year on the back of higher oil prices stoked by the Ukraine war. Van Beurden, 64, leaves Shell in a fitter state and with plans to embrace green energy — read more

Shell Buys Nature Energy in $2 Billion Push Into Biogas

Shell Plc will buy Nature Energy Biogas A/S from hedge fund Davidson Kempner Capital Management for nearly $2 billion as the oil major expands its transition from fossil fuels.

Bloomberg News: William Mathis:

Publishing date: Nov 28, 2022

(Bloomberg) — Shell Plc will buy Nature Energy Biogas A/S from hedge fund Davidson Kempner Capital Management for nearly $2 billion as the oil major expands its transition from fossil fuels.

Biogas is chemically the same as conventional natural gas, but is made from decomposing organic material like agricultural waste. It’s a platform primed for growth, with the US, through the Inflation Reduction Act, and the European Union both identifying the renewable fuel as a way to boost energy supplies and cut emissions in the coming years. read more

thenationalnews.com

Shell boss reveals regrets and pride as he steps down after decade

Ben van Beurden’s regrets were linked to financial issues in the Arctic and safety at a Dutch oilfield

Soraya Ebrahimi: Oct 28, 2022

Shell’s chief executive Ben van Beurden has said he regretted not acting earlier on two problems linked to the environment, as he prepares to step down after nearly a decade in charge.

Mr van Beurden said he should have acted in 2015 on data coming out of the Groningen gasfield in the Netherlands. read more

BBC NEWS

Shell pays no UK windfall tax despite profits jump

By Michael Race: Business reporter, BBC News: 27 Oct 2022

Shell has reported its second highest quarterly profit on record but it has not paid the UK’s windfall tax on energy firms.

The energy giant said global profits reached $9.5bn (£8.2bn) between July and September, compared to $4.2bn during the same period last year.

However, Shell said that because it had made large investments in the UK, it meant it had made no profit here.

It also does not expect to start paying windfall taxes until early next year.

The Energy Price Levy – or windfall tax – on the profits of energy firms was announced by Rishi Sunak in May, when he was chancellor. At the time he said it would raise £5bn in its first year. read more

The Telegraph

Shell in talks with Government as ministers consider new windfall tax

Oil and gas giant did not pay any tax in Britain, despite an existing windfall scheme

By Rachel Millard: 27 October 2022 • 5:48pm

Shell is in talks with the Government as ministers consider a fresh windfall tax on oil and gas companies to help fill a £35bn black hole in the public finances.

Ben van Buerden, chief executive of the oil and gas giant, said he accepted the case for higher taxes after the industry was boosted by surging fossil fuel prices following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. read more

OILPRICE.COM

Exxon And Shell Look To Sell $1.5 Billion Natural Gas Venture

By Tsvetana Paraskova – Sep 06, 2022, 9:30 AM CDT

Supermajors ExxonMobil and Shell are looking to sell their 50/50 NAM natural gas producing joint venture in the Netherlands in a potential sale worth up to $1.5 billion, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing industry sources and a document it had seen.

Shell and Esso set up the NAM joint venture in the 1950s and started producing gas from the giant Groningen field in the Netherlands in the 1960s. According to NAM’s website, the company supplies 75% of the natural gas required by Dutch households and businesses. A total of 93% of all Dutch households use natural gas and gas accounts for 45% of all the energy that is used in the Netherlands.

Shell and Exxon’s decision to sell one of the oldest gas-producing ventures would be part of both companies’ plans to divest aging assets they no longer consider core to their respective operations, Reuters notes.

According to Reuters’ sources, NAM’s assets up for sale – including three gas processing plants, pipeline networks, and offshore gas fields – could be valued at between $1 billion and $1.5 billion.

The two international majors expect that the current dire need for gas supply in Europe and the high natural gas prices could make those assets attractive to prospective buyers, the sources told Reuters. read more

Shell to Proceed With Gas Project in Offshore Malaysia

Wed, September 7, 2022 at 11:36 AM

Shell plc SHEL recently announced that it has taken a final investment decision to go ahead with the development of the Rosmari-Marjoram gas fields situated off the southeast coast of Malaysia.

The British energy major stated that the project is intended to produce 800 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, with the first gas output anticipated in 2026.

A subsidiary of SHEL — Sarawak Shell Berhad — owns an 80% stake and is the operator of the project. Meanwhile, the remaining 20% interest is held by Malaysian state-owned Petronas.

Discovered in 2014, the Rosmari-Marjoram fields are located approximately 220 kilometers (136.7 miles) off the coast of Bintulu in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The development of this deepwater sour gas field will consist of a subsea tie-back, an unmanned wellhead platform, a 207 km pipeline to the shore and an onshore gas plant at Bintulu. read more

REUTERS

Shell, unions reach wage deal to end industrial action at Prelude FLNG

Sonali Paul: PUBLISHED AUG 23, 2022 09:48PM EDT

MELBOURNE — Shell and unions representing workers at its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility have reached a wage deal to end a long-running strike and restart production at the site off northwest Australia, they said on Wednesday.

Shell shut the 3.6 million-tonnes-a-year Prelude facility in July and told customers it would be unable to supply LNG for the duration of the protected industrial action, or strikes approved by Australia’s Fair Work Commission, over a wage dispute. read more

Daily Mail

Shell and BP’s plans to reduce carbon emissions will still overshoot the 1.5°C warming limit in the Paris Agreement by a ‘significant margin’, study warns

• Fossil fuel firms’ projections don’t fit with Paris Agreement targets, study claims

• Projections from the firms show ‘delayed reductions in fossil fuel consumption’ 

• The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change 

By JONATHAN CHADWICK FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 12:02 EDT, 16 August 2022 | UPDATED: 03:51 EDT, 18 August 2022

Fossil fuel companies’ plans to reduce carbon emissions will still overshoot the 1.5°C warming limit in the Paris Agreement by a ‘significant margin’, a new study warns.

Researchers have studied the ‘decarbonisation scenarios’ outlined by vast energy companies Shell, BP and Equinor. read more

The Telegraph

Shell and British Gas owner post record profits as energy bills surge 

James Warrington: 28 JULY 2022 • 12:28PM

Shell and the owner of British Gas are handing billions of pounds back to shareholders as Russia’s war in Ukraine drives record-breaking profits.

Shell will repurchase a further $6bn (£4.9bn) of shares in the third quarter, having already bought back $8.5bn of stock in the first half of the year.

It came after the FTSE 100 company’s profit jumped to $11.5bn in the three months to the end of June – its second consecutive quarter of record profits – as it cashed in on high oil and gas prices. read more

The Telegraph

Greenpeace accused of siding with Putin and putting British security at risk

Shell to Stop Paying Prelude LNG Workers From Monday, After Industrial Action Extended

By Reuters: July 20, 2022, at 3:47 a.m.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Shell Plc has told workers at its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility it will stop paying them as of Monday if they are not on site, a Shell spokesperson said on Wednesday. Shell was meeting with workers after their combined union, the Offshore Alliance, extended protected industrial action, which began 40 days ago, to Aug. 4, the spokesperson said. read more

THE TIMES

Shell shuts gas plant after strike

Shell has been forced to shut its troubled Prelude floating liquefied natural gas plant as workers escalate a strike over pay.

The oil and gas group was yesterday in the process of halting production at the plant off the coast of Australia after informing customers it would be unable to offload cargoes.

Shell had already been forced to reduce output from Prelude after workers at the floating plant went on strike last month.

The latest strike plans effectively prevent tankers being moored alongside the plant to offload cargoes and, with storage facilities on the plant nearing capacity, Shell was forced to shut down production. Strike action is expected to continue until July 21. read more

CITYA.M.

Happy as a clam: Shell raises value of oil and gas assets as refining soars

NICHOLAS EARL: THURSDAY 07 JULY 2022 3:28 PM

Shell has announced it will reverse up to $4.5bn in write-downs taken on the value of its oil and gas assets after raising its energy prices outlook following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent disruption to fossil fuel trading across the world.

In an update ahead of its second quarter results on July 28, the energy giant revealed its refining margins almost tripled over the three-month period. read more

The Guardian

Shell may have to abandon £3bn stake in Russian gas plant

Kremlin sets up new firm to own Sakhalin-2 plant, with stakeholders given a month to sign up or they could lose money

Alex Lawson Energy correspondent: Fri 1 Jul 2022: 12.50 BST

Shell could be forced to abandon a £3bn investment in a huge Russian gas plant after Vladimir Putin threatened to seize the rights to the project.

The Kremlin has said it plans to transfer the rights to the Sakhalin-2 plant in the far east of Russia to a new Russian company, citing economic security and national interests. read more

abc.net.au

Shell, Australian Workers Union in stalemate over Prelude dispute

ABC Kimberley / by Taylor Thompson- Fuller: 29 June 2022

Key points:

• A fresh round of industrial actions are set to hit Shell’s offshore gas facility Prelude next month

• Workers set to be transported to the facility on Wednesday were told to stand down

• A pay dispute between unions and the Anglo-Dutch company are at a stalemate

Shell has cancelled gas shipments from its offshore facility Prelude as an industrial dispute between unions and the Anglo-Dutch resources company come to a head.

Contractors set to fly out to the resources rig on Wednesday were told to stand down in response to the disagreement over pay increases, rostering and job security.

The dispute has also caused Shell to advise their customers they will be cancelling some gas shipments from the facility until mid-July. read more

Houston Chronicle

Shell launches renewable power brand in Texas under a new branch of the company

Amanda Drane, Staff writer: June 7, 2022 Updated: June 7, 2022 10:08 a.m.

Shell said Tuesday it is entering the residential power market in Texas, offering renewable power to Texans under a new branch of the company.

The launch of Shell Energy Solutions, a Texas power retailer, marks Shell’s entry into the U.S. power market. Its power plans will offer perks for electric vehicle drivers and homeowners with solar panels.

The move is the latest in a series of steps by the oil giant to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and reposition itself more broadly as an energy provider as the energy transition accelerates. It follows an announcement last week that it had bought a Houston-based gas station and convenience store chain Landmark as the global oil giant positions itself to provide charging stations and motor fuels of the future. read more

The Telegraph

Shell gets green light for biggest North Sea oil project in decades

Jackdaw field expected to start production in 2025

By Rachel Millard 1 June 2022 • 8:33pm

Shell is to develop one of the biggest North Sea gas projects in years after winning approval from regulators as the Government scrambles to bolster domestic energy supplies. 

The FTSE 100 company’s Jackdaw project is set to produce about 6.5pc of Britain’s gas output with Shell aiming to start production by the second half of 2025. 

Shell’s plans for the field were initially knocked back by environmental regulators last year but have been approved after they were revised.

The Government wants to cut the use of fossil fuels in the long term but is also under pressure to bolster domestic supplies after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent international oil and gas markets into turmoil.

Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary, tweeted on Wednesday: “Jackdaw gas field – originally licensed in 1970 – has today received final regulatory approval. read more

The Guardian

Russia cuts gas supplies to Netherlands and firms in Denmark and Germany

Gazprom raises stakes in sanctions war after EU move to embargo most Russian oil imports and companies miss deadline to pay in roubles

Joanna Partridge: Tue 31 May 2022 19.25 BST

Russia has further cut off gas supplies to Europe, after state energy giant Gazprom turned off the taps to a top Dutch trader and halted flows to some companies in Denmark and Germany.

It later said it would also cut off gas flows to the Danish energy firm Ørsted and to Shell Energy for its contract to supply gas to Germany, after both companies failed to make payments in roubles. read more

BBC News

Shell consultant quits and accuses firm of ‘extreme harms’

By Annabelle Liang: Business reporter: 25 May 2022

A safety consultant at oil and gas giant Shell has stopped working for the firm, as she accused its top executives of failing to protect the environment.

In a post on the professional networking platform LinkedIn, Caroline Dennett said the company is “causing extreme harms to our climate, environment, nature and to people”.

It has drawn over 10,000 likes and has been shared more than 1,200 times. read more

UPI

Shell safety consultant quits over ‘double-talk on climate’

By Sheri Walsh: 23 MAY 2022

May 23 (UPI) — A Shell safety consultant has resigned over what she calls the oil company’s “extreme harms” to the environment and “disregard for climate change risks.”

Caroline Dennett submitted her resignation to Shell executives and 1,400 employees Monday in an email and public video, accusing the U.S. company of “failing on a massive planetary scale” and blasting the oil giant’s plans to expand fossil fuel extraction. read more

The Guardian

Shell profits soar to $9.1bn amid calls for windfall tax

Alex Lawson: Thu 5 May 2022 02.55 EDT

Shell has reported a record quarterly profit of $9.1bn (£7.3bn) for the first three months of the year, piling more pressure on the government to implement a windfall tax to fund measures to tackle soaring household energy bills.

The first-quarter profit was boosted by a sharp rise in oil and gas prices, and compared with $6.3bn of profits in the final three months of 2021 and $3.2bn during the first quarter of last year. It was above analysts’ expectations of first-quarter adjusted earnings of $8.7bn.

Campaigners have called for a one-off levy on companies benefiting from soaring oil and gas prices to fund government initiatives to reduce the burden of rising bills.

Shell’s update comes after BP reported its highest quarterly profit in more than a decade on Tuesday. Its profits more than doubled to $6.2bn, and sparked a clamour for a windfall tax.

The government has resisted calls for such a levy. Boris Johnson has said it would discourage oil and gas producers from making investments into domestic energy.

But BP’s chief executive, Bernard Looney, has admitted none of the £18bn UK investments the company is planning would be dropped if a windfall tax were imposed. read more

Ukraine brands Shell ‘deplorable’ after accusing it of using an ‘accounting trick’ to keep buying Russian oil

By LUCY WHITE FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 21:54, 22 April 2022 | UPDATED: 09:52, 23 April 2022

Ukraine’s government has branded Shell ‘deplorable’ after accusing it of using an ‘accounting trick’ to keep buying Russian oil.

Officials in Kyiv said Western companies were continuing to ‘bankroll Putin’s war machine’ despite promising to cut ties with the Kremlin. read more

Strong progress towards net zero for Shell

Apr 20, 2022

Shell today published its Energy Transition Progress Report 2021 detailing the company’s progress over the past year. This report will be put to shareholders for an advisory vote at the Annual General Meeting on 24 May 2022.

“In a time of great uncertainty, it is vital that our long-term energy transition strategy remains on track,” said Ben van Beurden, Shell’s Chief Executive Officer. “This report shows the strong progress we have made towards our target to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050.” read more

MailOnline

Extinction Rebellion mob cause traffic NIGHTMARE in London

• Earlier today the eco fanatics climbed onto a Shell oil tanker at a petrol station in Bayswater, London

• Along with eco-mob Just Stop Oil, XR have brought 16 days of disruption to traffic, oil depots and commuters

• Comes after activists blocked four of London’s busiest bridges on Good Friday – causing traffic chaos

• Several oil firms secured injunctions to stop environmental protesters from targeting fuel processing sites 

By WILLIAM COLE FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 10:51, 16 April 2022 | UPDATED: 20:17, 16 April 2022

A mob of Extinction Rebellion protesters have swamped London’s Marble Arch, glueing themselves to a limousine and bringing traffic to a standstill.

The eco-fanatic rabble have once again brought chaos to the streets of the capital as they launched a series of ‘disruptions’ on a sixteenth days of protests alongside Just Stop Oil activists.

XR members convened in Hyde Park earlier today before one group – which included two former Olympians – climbed onto a Shell oil tanker at nearby Bayswater, leading to six arrests. read more

The Times

Shell to develop blue hydrogen plant

Emily Gosden: Wednesday, April 13 2022

Shell has teamed up with Uniper to develop a proposed new facility to make “blue hydrogen” from natural gas on Humberside. The British oil giant said it had signed an agreement with the German utility group to work on its Humber Hub Blue project at Uniper’s Killingholme power station site.

The plant would separate natural gas into clean-burning hydrogen and waste carbon dioxide, which would be disposed of under the sea via the proposed East Coast Cluster carbon capture and storage facility. Hydrogen burns cleanly and is seen as a crucial part of Britain’s decarbonisation plans, especially for heavy industry and transport as well as potentially for power generation. read more

Yahoo!news

Shell to write off up to $5bn on Russia exit

Energy stalwart Shell (SHEL.L) has warned that its exit from Russia could cost it as much as $5bn (£3.8bn) in the first three months of this year.

Shell will write off between $4bn and $5bn in the value of its assets, but the post-tax impairments will not impact the company’s earnings, it said in an update ahead of its earnings announcement in May.

Thursday’s announcement offers a first glimpse of the potential financial hit to western oil companies withdrawing from the country following its invasion of Ukraine. read more

Shell first quarter 2022 update note

April 07, 2022 02:00 ET | Source: Shell plc

The following is an update to the first quarter 2022 outlook. Impacts presented may vary from the actual results and are subject to finalisation of the first quarter 2022 results, published on May 5, 2022. Unless otherwise indicated, all outlook statements exclude identified items.

The prevailing volatility in commodity prices has led to larger ranges in the financial guidance for the quarter. Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA updates are provided at a segment level while the CFFO update is provided at a Shell Group level. read more

Global&Mail

Shell eyes major expansion of B.C. natural gas project

Brent Jang: 6 April 2022

Shell PLC SHEL-N is studying the feasibility of a major expansion for the LNG Canada joint venture in British Columbia, citing a surge in global demand for liquefied natural gas and the need for reliable new supplies.

Europe has been scrambling to reduce its dependence on natural gas from Russia since the invasion of Ukraine nearly six weeks ago, and countries in Asia want cleaner alternatives to coal. read more

Shell Trinidad and Tobago delivers first gas from Colibri Project

Mar 31, 2022

Shell Trinidad and Tobago (through BG International, a subsidiary of Shell plc), today announces that production has started on Block 22 and NCMA-4 in the North Coast Marine Area (NCMA) in Trinidad and Tobago.

The start-up of Colibri follows the amendment to the Block 6 Production Sharing Contract for the Manatee field, marking yet another significant milestone in Shell’s growth strategy in country. This will allow for the delivery of gas both domestically and internationally through Atlantic LNG. read more

The Guardian

Shell U-turn on Cambo oilfield would threaten green targets, say campaigners

Company is reviewing decision to withdraw from North Sea project because of high oil price, report claims

Jasper Jolly: Tue 22 Mar 2022 09.41 GMT

Climate activists have reacted with concern to reports that Shell is reconsidering its decision to abandon development of the Cambo oilfield, warning that such a reversal would further threaten emissions reductions targets.

The fossil fuel producer could U-turn on a decision to pull out of the North Sea project because the “economic, political and regulatory environment had changed enormously since the decision was announced just three months ago”, according to sources cited by the BBC. read more

Argus Media

Australia’s Prelude LNG cleared for restart

Published date: 18 March 2022

Production at the 3.6mn t/yr Prelude floating LNG project in the Browse basin offshore Western Australia (WA) has been granted approval to restart, Australia’s offshore security regulator said.

The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (Nopsema) has closed a direction issued to project owner and operator Shell on 23 December 2021, instructing it to “demonstrate that the facility can operate safely in the event of power loss before production can commence”. Shell also confirmed that the direction has closed, but has no further comment at this stage. read more

Nasdaq.com

Shell’s Board Of Directors Sued For Not Doing Enough For Climate Change

RTTNews.com RTTNews: PUBLISHED MAR 15, 2022 3:54PM EDT

(RTTNews) – Shell’s Board of Directors sued for not doing enough for climate change The Board of British energy company Shell Plc (SHEL) is being sued for not taking enough steps to help the company make the transition away from fossil fuels.

Environmental law firm ClientEarth, which is also a Shell shareholder, said on Tuesday that it had notified the company of its lawsuit against Shell’s 13 executive and non-executive directors. The law firm has said that the Board’s failure to put in place a climate plan, which aligns with the Paris Agreement must be considered a breach of their duties as per British law. read more

sky news

Shell boss bags 26% leap in annual pay package after COVID oil price recovery

Ben van Beurden took home 57 times more than the median Shell worker in 2021 but will be facing pressure to temper awards for the current year as surging oil and gas prices bring misery to households and business alike.

The chief executive of Shell’s pay package rose by 26% to €7.4bn (£6.2m) last year amid a recovery in oil prices from COVID crisis lows, according to the company’s annual report. read more

AP

Shell says it will stop buying Russian oil, natural gas

LONDON (AP) — Energy giant Shell said Tuesday that it will stop buying Russian oil and natural gas and shut down its service stations, aviation fuels and other operations in the country amid international pressure for companies to sever ties over the invasion of Ukraine.

The company said in a statement that it would withdraw from all Russian hydrocarbons, including crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas and liquefied natural gas, “in a phased manner.” read more

Fox Business

Shell makes ‘difficult’ decision to purchase Russian crude oil, vows to buy elsewhere ‘whenever possible’

The company says it will avoid purchasing Russian oil whenever possible

CNBC

Energy giant Shell to end partnership with Russia’s Gazprom as Ukraine conflict intensifies

• Shell said it’s selling a 27.5% stake in Sakhalin-II, an integrated oil and gas project located on the Sakhalin island in Russia, as well as a 50% interest in Salym Petroleum Development N.V.
• “We are shocked by the loss of life in Ukraine, which we deplore, resulting from a senseless act of military aggression which threatens European security,” Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said in a statement.
• The company said that it had about $3 billion in “noncurrent assets” through its Gazprom ventures at the end of 2021.

Shell said Monday it is ending an “equity partnership” with Gazprom, a Russian state-owned energy company, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues.

Shell said it’s selling a 27.5% stake in Sakhalin-II, an integrated oil and gas project located on the Sakhalin island in Russia, as well as a 50% interest in Salym Petroleum Development N.V., “a joint venture with Gazprom Neft that is developing the Salym fields in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District of western Siberia.” The company also said it’s ending its involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. read more

OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY

Shell’s QGC JV plans for new gas drilling phase in Australia

Shell has announced that its Queensland Gas Co. (QGC) joint venture (JV) plans to enter a new drilling phase for natural gas, onshore Queensland, Australia.

The work will be carried out together with JV partners China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), and Japan’s Tokyo Gas. Shell is the operator and holds a majority interest in the QGC venture.

Between 2022 and 2024, the QGC will drill approximately 145 new gas wells in the Western Downs region of Queensland. read more

The Guardian

New calls for windfall tax as Shell unveils highest quarterly profit in eight years

Jillian Ambrose and agency: Thu 3 Feb 2022 12.13 GMT

Shell has cashed in on rocketing oil and gas markets by quadrupling its profits to historic highs, fuelling fresh calls for a windfall tax on fossil fuel giants to help hard-pressed households cope with record energy bills.

The UK’s Labour party has called for the government to fund measures to help British households weather the cost of living crisis by imposing a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers. read more

S&P Global/Platts

Shell delays expansion work at Nigeria’s Bonga oil field by two years: sources

• 02 Feb 2022 | 17:47 UTC
• Author Newsdesk-Nigeria 
• Editor Adithya Ram 

Shell has delayed expansion work at its Nigerian offshore Bonga field by another two years, dealing a major blow to the West African country’s quest to grow its crude production after a series of technical and operational setbacks, sources close to the project said Feb. 2.

t was only in May 2021 that Shell, along with its partners, signed a deal with state oil company Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC) in the deepwater oil block Oil Mining Lease 118, clearing the path to a major expansion of the country’s Bonga oil and gas field. read more

London Evening Standard

Shell to hand £6bn to shareholders as oil and gas prices soar

The business said profits have risen dramatically in the last few months.

By August Graham: 3 Feb 2022

It has been a bumper three months for energy giant Shell, which managed to increase its profits nearly fourteen-fold amid soaring oil and gas prices.

As prices surged, the company’s upstream unit was able to collect 8.88 dollars for every thousand cubic feet of gas it sold to customers over the last quarter of 2021.

Just six months earlier gas had been selling for 4.31 dollars, less than half of its most recent level. read more

RIGZONE

Shell Starts Up 20MW Hydrogen Electrolyzer In China

Energy major Shell has started operations at the power-to-hydrogen electrolyzer in Zhangjiakou, a joint venture between Shell China and Zhangjiakou City Transport Construction Investment Holding Group.

One of the world’s largest hydrogen electrolyzers will provide about half of the total green hydrogen supply for fuel cell vehicles at the Zhangjiakou competition zone during the Winter Olympic Games, set to begin on February 4, 2022.

“The electrolyzer is the largest in our portfolio to date and is in line with Shell’s Powering Progress strategy, which includes plans to build on our leading position in hydrogen,” said Wael Sawan, Shell’s Integrated Gas, Renewable, and Energy Solutions Director. “We see opportunities across the hydrogen supply chain in China, including its production, storage, and shipping. We want to be the trusted partner for our customers from different sectors as we help them decarbonize in China.” read more