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Shell boosts crude output in top U.S. shale field to 250,000 bpd

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

(Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell, which plans billions of dollars in spending on shale drilling projects, boosted output in the top U.S. shale field to 250,000 barrels per day in December, the company’s Permian Basin head said on Wednesday.

Shell plans to spend about $3 billion per year for the next five years on shale projects, said Amir Gerges, vice president of Permian assets for Shell, at the Argus Americas Crude Summit in Houston. Its Permian Basin production rose more than 100,000 barrels per day in the last year. read more

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Brent Oil Set to Disappear as Crude-Price Benchmark Lives On

Royal Dutch Shell is set to plug its last remaining Brent oil wells in the North Sea next year

By Sarah McFarlane: Dec. 2, 2019 6:06 am ET

The world’s most famous oil and gas field—and the backbone of global crude pricing—has dried up. Soon the Brent benchmark will have no Brent oil. Royal Dutch Shell PLC is expected next year to plug the last remaining Brent oil wells, located in the North Sea’s East Shetland Basin, about 115 miles northeast of Scotland’s Shetland Islands. The closures mark the end of an era, as the industry shifts its focus to smaller oil finds near existing infrastructure. FULL WSJ ARTICLE (PAYWALL) read more

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Shell’s third-quarter profits fall 15% on lower oil and gas prices

Sam Meredith: 31 Oct 2019

POINTS
  • Net income attributable to shareholders on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis, used as a proxy for net profit, and excluding identified items, came in at $4.767 billion for the third quarter of 2019.
  • That compared with a profit of $5.624 billion in the same quarter a year ago and $3.462 billion in the second quarter.
  • Shares of the Anglo-Dutch oil company are down more than 1% when compared to the same period in 2018.

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell reported weaker-than-expected third-quarter net profit on Thursday, citing lower energy prices and chemicals margins.

Net income attributable to shareholders on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis, used as a proxy for net profit, and excluding identified items, came in at $4.767 billion for the third quarter of 2019. That compared with a profit of $5.624 billion in the same quarter a year ago and $3.462 billion in the second quarter. read more

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Shell shares plunge after worst results since oil price crash

Shell shares plunge after worst results since oil price crash

By Brian Donnelly Business Correspondent: 2 Aug 2019

SHARES in Royal Dutch Shell were down five per cent after it posted its worst financial results since the 2016 oil price crash.

The energy giant said the figures were influenced by lower oil and gas prices while analysts said wider global factors including the US and China trade stand-off played a part, and the firm said it would not take any British-flagged tankers to the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions in the region. read more

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Shell Profit Misses as Slowing Economy Hurts Gas, Chemicals

Bloomberg: Shell Profit Misses as Slowing Economy Hurts Gas, Chemicals

By Kelly Gilblom: 1 August 2019, 07:15 BST Updated on 1 August 2019, 08:14 BST

Cash flow rises, but integrated gas adjusted profit falls 25%

Shell CEO says macroeconomic conditions were challenging

Royal Dutch Shell Plc got caught into the same earnings trap as many of its peers, reporting second-quarter earnings that fell well short of expectations as the slowing global economy hit everything from natural gas to chemicals.

Profit in Shell’s integrated gas division was down by 25%, but earnings were lower across all of its businesses, including upstream oil and gas production, and refining and chemicals.

“We’ve seen some very severe macroeconomic headwinds — probably most pronounced in our downstream business where we saw some weaker refining margins — but especially a much weaker trading environment for petrochemicals,” Chief Executive Officer Ben Van Beurden said in a Bloomberg TV interview on Thursday. “In our upstream, we’ve seen headwinds particularly in North American gas.” read more

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Shell investors in line for £99bn windfall as oil giant’s boss announces fresh strategy for ‘energy transition’ to greener tech

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

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

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‘Backflips and turmoil’: Shell CEO urges business to take lead on climate

Shell Australia chairman Zoe Yujnovich said industry must help to direct government to create a durable energy policy after more than a decade of failed energy and climate policies. CREDIT: BEN RUSHTON

By Cole Latimer: 

Shell has blasted the federal government over climate and energy policies saying business needs to take the lead on climate action, and the Coalition blaming high gas prices on exports “cannot go unchallenged”.

In a speech, Australia chief Zoe Yujnovich lashed the government’s performance on climate change and threats to cut off gas exports, saying industry needs to take the lead on climate and energy as governments are unable to “sell” their constantly changing policies. read more

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Shell’s £4.3bn profit fuels anger

FUEL giant Shell came under fire yesterday after unveiling a 36 percent profit leap – while “exploiting hardworking motorists”.

By CYRIL DIXON

Executives at the British-Dutch company were jubilant after reporting a £4.3billion surplus for the final quarter of last year. But critics pointed out that the “strong financial performance” came at the expense of millions of drivers. Campaigners are demanding a new watchdog for pump prices after they rose more than 11 percent year-on-year.

They pointed out that profits made by fuel retailers on every unit of petrol have rocketed by 60 percent to 13p per litre.

Howard Cox, founder of pressure group FairFuelUK, said: “Greedy oil companies continue to ride roughshod over hard-working, low income families and small businesses. read more

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Shell sticking with spending discipline as 2018 profits soar

Shell sticking with spending discipline as 2018 profits soar

Ron Bousso: January 31, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell said to would stick to spending discipline this year after 2018 profits jumped by more than a third to $21.4 billion, their highest since 2014.

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

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

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

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Shell Still Isn’t Earning Enough Money

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Shell ‘leading the way’ on climate change

Shell ‘leading the way’ on climate change

Written by

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

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

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

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

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Shell profit rises on higher oil, gas prices

By Published: Jan 31

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

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

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

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Shell set to post best profits since 2014

Shell set to post best profits since 2014

Written by

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

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

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

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

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Can Royal Dutch Shell’s Cash Flows Remain Consistent?

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

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

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Shell: Kitimat LNG, Trouble Ahead?

Fluidsdoc: Jan. 7, 2019 4:31 AM ET

Summary

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

Introduction

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

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Royal Dutch Shell: Follow The Cash Flow Story And You’ll Find The Way

Nov. 12, 2018 11:13 AM ET

Summary

  • The European Oil sector has demonstrated an impressive capital discipline, with renewed focused on cash earnings.
  • Royal Dutch Shell is an exceptional cash generating machine that has recently released the best quarterly results in the company’s history.
  • The muted share response to the earnings report creates a wonderful entry point to an unloved sector.

My high conviction investment thesis in Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.B) is based on three success pillars. The first pillar is growth in net income, accompanied by a significant rise in free cash flow. The second pillar is shareholder friendliness, or how Shell treats its shareholders well. The third pillar, as in with every investment, is the current compelling valuation of shares

Responsible, Consistent Growth

In the third quarter, Shell generated adjusted net income in the amount of $5.6 billion, up a whopping 37 percent compared to the third quarter of last year. Earnings were 70 cents a share, up 40 percent year over year. More importantly, the company’s growth is well balanced between its different divisions. The upstream division (oil exploration) generated adjusted net income of1.88$ billion, compared to a meager 562$ million during the third quarter of 2017. read more

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This Big Oil Company Has More Cash Than It Knows What to Do With

November 04, 2018, 07:19:00 AM EDT By Tyler Crowe,

This past quarter,  Royal Dutch Shell ‘s (NYSE: RDS-A) (NYSE: RDS-B) results showed the company can fund just about anything it wants right now. A large capital expenditure program? Yup. Pay down some debt? Sure! Fund its dividend? Of course! How about a $2 billion share repurchase program on top of all of that? Why not! The reason it is able to do this is that the company is generating an almost unfathomable amount of cash right now. Shell’s management said this was the most cash it has pulled in since the second quarter of 2008 when oil prices were in the $110-to-$120-per-barrel range. read more

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Shell churns out cash like oil’s above $100 again

Oil is trading well below its price of a decade ago, but you’d have no idea looking at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s giant pile of cash.

The Anglo-Dutch oil major generated the most cash from operations in 10 years last quarter — almost $15 billion. The last time Shell pumped out that much money was the year crude soared to $140 a barrel, compared with about $75 today.

As a result, the company is showing greater confidence. It increased the pace of a $25 billion buyback program, rewarding shareholders who stuck with it through crude’s collapse. The cash surge is a feather in the cap of Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden, who splashed more than $50 billion on buying BG Group Plc in 2016 during the depths of the downturn. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell sees profits jump as oil price rises

1 November 2018

Royal Dutch Shell’s profits surged by 37% in the third quarter of the year on the back of rising oil prices.

The Anglo-Dutch giant said earnings excluding one-off items on a current cost of supply measure (CCS), which strips out price fluctuations, hit $5.6bn (£4.3bn) from $4.1bn last year.

Rising oil and gas prices in the July-to-September period were the main driver of profits.

Shell joins rivals, including BP, in reporting strong results.

However, the figure was lower than a company-provided analysts’ consensus forecast of nearly $5.8bn. read more

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Shell and BP pumped up by oil prices

Giants amass cash for share buybacks and dividends

The two biggest London-listed oil majors are expected to report higher profits and cash levels this week, driven by rising oil and gas prices as the industry’s recovery continues.

The price of a barrel of Brent crude averaged $75.80 during the third quarter of the year, 45% higher than the same period in 2017, while UK gas prices are up 54% year-on-year.

The rally following the crash that sent prices below $30 a barrel in 2016 is helping companies to repay debt and start rewarding shareholders, even as it pushes up costs for households and motorists. Analysts’ profit forecasts for BP, which reports on Tuesday, averaged $2.8bn (£2.2bn) compared with $1.9bn during the same quarter last year. read more

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Shell boss hopes Saudi tensions will not hit supply

Shell CEO Ben van Beurden

The head of oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has warned that the crisis over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi should not be allowed to shake the security of energy supply.

Ben van Beurden told Sky News that he was “glued” to coverage of the case and not just because it “may lead to geopolitical tensions that may affect markets”.

He said disruption to the sector would be “an unhelpful outcome” for all concerned.

Shell, the biggest company by value on London’s FTSE 100 Index, has investments of more than $8bn and 2,000 staff in oil-rich Saudi Arabia. read more

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Shell’s greener future is a matter of survival

The Anglo-Dutch energy giant may “turbo-charge” its drive into renewable power and electric vehicles within five years

Jillian Ambrose, energy editor: 13 OCTOBER 2018 • 5:30PM

‘We’re not an oil company,” says Ben van Beurden from across the table. It is an affable, but pointed intervention typical of the man leading the FTSE 100’s highest-valued business.

“I don’t want to be facetious or pedantic,” he continues good-naturedly. “But we are a much broader and more sophisticated company than one that produces oil. We produce much more gas than we do oil, for a start.”

For the boss of Royal Dutch Shell, the distinction is one that rings at the heart of a personal mission to transform a company which for over a hundred years has fuelled the development of the modern world. read more

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Shell CEO: $80 Oil To Boost Energy Infrastructure Investment

By Tsvetana Paraskova – Sep 26, 2018, 9:00 AM CDT

Brent Crude at $80 a barrel is not an “unreasonable” price of oil, and it will support investment in oil and gas infrastructure after the downturn, Shell’s chief executive Ben van Beurden told CNBC in an interview on Tuesday.

“We should be able to balance the market at that sort of oil price level, but of course bringing on new production is not a short-term event,” van Beurden said, noting that it takes years for the industry to bring new production online. read more

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Shell CEO says $80 oil supports energy infrastructure investment, even as steel quotas raise costs

25 Sept 2018

  • Royal Dutch Shell CEO Ben van Beurden says $80 oil is not “unreasonable” and will help fuel spending on oil and gas infrastructure after a period of underinvestment.
  • The Trump administration’s steel quotas are beginning to impede some of Shell’s construction projects in the United States, van Beurden said.
  • Shell has not yet canceled any construction due to the trade barriers, and it is driving down the cost of its offshore projects.

|

The Trump administration’s steel quotas present a challenge to building new oil and gas infrastructure in the United States, but rising crude prices help fuel investment, Royal Dutch Shell CEO Ben van Beurden tells CNBC.

International benchmark Brent crude hit a nearly four-year high above $81 a barrel on Monday as the market braces for U.S. sanctions on Iran that threaten to wipe about 1 million barrels a day off the market. Brent’s multiyear high came after OPEC, Russia and other oil producers declined to boost output to tackle rising prices. 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.

European Firms Hit Hard By U.S. Sanctions On Iran

Along with Royal Dutch Shell, Total was among the first energy companies to halt crude oil purchases from the Islamic Republic, fearing repercussions if they failed to do so.

By Scott Belinksi – Sep 01, 2018, 10:00 AM CDT

As Iran is turning to the UN’s International Court of Justice to have the US-imposed sanctions against its oil suspended, the EU is preparing for the hit its economies will have to absorb once the full weight of Washington’s punitive measures comes into effect in the fourth quarter of this year. With these latest moves, American intentions are clear: cut off Iranian oil from the market entirely and reduce Tehran’s financial power. As oil prices rise, however, the White House’s policy looks set to hurt more countries than just Iran. Will Europe’s economies take the hit – or will they fight back? read more

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Will Royal Dutch Shell Follow Its Peers And Raise Its Dividend?

Aristofanis Papadatos: 25 August 2018

Summary

  • Royal Dutch Shell has not cut its dividend since World War II and is currently offering a 5.6% dividend yield.
  • The oil major has frozen its dividend for 18 consecutive quarters.
  • The big question is whether it will raise its dividend amid excessive free cash flows and a brightening outlook of the oil sector.

Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A) (NYSE:RDS.B) is an oil giant that has benefited from the rally of the oil price in the last 12 months, just like its peers. However, the oil major has paid the same dividend for 18 consecutive quarters, as it froze its dividend at the onset of the downturn of the oil market that began in 2014. Therefore, the big question is whether the company will raise its dividend in the upcoming quarters.

Dividend record

Despite the downturn that began in 2014, Exxon Mobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX) and Total (TOT) have continued to raise their dividends, albeit at a low single-digit rate. BP (BP) followed the same path as Shell and froze its dividend for 15 consecutive quarters, but eventually raised it in the running quarter, thanks to the strength of the oil price and the brightening outlook of the oil market. Therefore, Shell is the only oil major that has kept its dividend flat for such a long period. read more

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Shell hails bounceback towards deepwater drilling

Shell hails bounceback towards deepwater drilling

Head of exploration says break-even prices are now $30 a barrel

Anjli Raval, Senior Energy Correspondent AUGUST 12, 2018

Royal Dutch Shell is doubling down on drilling for oil far beneath the oceans, as the energy group eyes a cash bonanza from traditional deepwater projects despite a growing focus on new US shale investments. Andy Brown, Shell’s head of exploration and production, said the industry was seeing a “bounceback” towards deepwater… FULL FT ARTICLE read more

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Shell, Petrobras units probed for Brazil price-fixing

Pedro Fonseca: JULY 31, 2018

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazil’s three largest fuel distribution companies are under investigation for fixing prices at the pump, police said on Tuesday, reigniting debate over potential collusion among gas station owners in Latin America’s largest oil producer.

The firms targeted by the probe are Petrobras Distribuidora SA (BRDT3.SA), a subsidiary of state oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4.SA); Ipiranga, a unit of Ultrapar Participações SA (UGPA3.SA); and Raízen, a Cosan SA (CSAN3.SA) and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.AS) joint venture. read more

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Shell to make final investment call on Nigeria oilfield in 2019: official

Reuters Staff: JULY 31, 2018

ABUJA (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell and its partners will decide next year on whether to go ahead with the development of Nigeria’s Bonga Southwest offshore oilfield, a senior company official said on Tuesday.

The project, one of the country’s largest with an expected production of 180,000 barrels per day, will generate profit at below $50 a barrel, Bayo Ojuli, managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, told reporters. read more

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The Netherlands Can’t Afford To Keep Its Natural Gas Promise

By Vanand Meliksetian – Jul 03, 2018, 3:00 PM CDT

The Netherlands has been the source of cheap energy for northwest Europe for the past decades. The discovery of the Groningen gas field, the 9th largest in the world, provided a reliable source of energy in a period when the oil market was rocked by embargos due to the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The future of the Dutch gas sector, however, looks bleak due to two important developments in 2018: a political decision to reduce production with a timeline to stop entirely until 2030 and a new climate agreement. The Netherlands is preparing to make major changes regarding the role of gas in people’s lives. read more

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Shell adds competitive, deep-water production in the US Gulf of Mexico

Kaikias, an economically resilient, subsea development in the US Gulf of Mexico

HOUSTON, May 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Shell Offshore, Inc. (Shell), a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, announces today the early start of production – around one-year ahead of schedule – at the first phase of Kaikias, an economically resilient, subsea development in the US Gulf of Mexico with estimated peak production of 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d).

Shell has reduced costs by around 30% at this deep-water project since taking the investment decision in early 2017, lowering the forward-looking, break-even price to less than $30 per barrel of oil. read more

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Investors turn up heat on Shell over climate targets

Ron Bousso: MAY 22, 2018

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Top investors in Royal Dutch Shell on Tuesday stepped up pressure on the oil and gas giant to commit to hard targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to battle climate change.

Shell has set out “ambitions” to halve carbon emissions by 2050 and expand in renewables energy, which Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said were ground breaking for the oil industry.

To view a graphic on Shell emissions, click: reut.rs/2Iya7Hf

“Nobody else comes close, it is seriously ambitious,” van Beurden said of Shell’s plan at the company’s annual general meeting in The Hague. read more

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Shell Spreads Its Bets Around as It Prepares for a Greener Future

Shell closed a deal to buy First Utility, a British energy company that owns neither power plants nor gas pipelines, in March. CreditTom Jamieson for The New York Times

By Stanley Reed

COVENTRY, England — There seems to be little about the scrappy energy company in central England that would appeal to Royal Dutch Shell, the button-down oil giant.

The little company, First Utility, is an upstart challenger. It offers friendly customer service, and low prices on electricity and natural gas. But it doesn’t own any power plants or gas pipelines; First Utility is a virtual energy company — the product of technological advancement and deregulation. read more

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More investor rebellions brew as BP and Shell bosses’ pay comes under fire

Alys Key: Retail and leisure reporter: Tuesday 15 May 2018

More shareholder rebellions are brewing as a summer of AGM revolts gets underway, with oil and gas companies the latest to face the music.

Shareholders in BP are being urged to vote against the “unacceptable” pay of chief executive Bob Dudley, whose remuneration is 48 times higher than the company’s average employee.

Advisory service Pensions & Investment Research Consultants (Pirc) advised shareholders to oppose the company’s remuneration report at the annual general meeting on 21 May. read more

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As Oil Hits $75, Shell Wants Deepwater Costs at $40 or Below

The Big Oil playbook has been straightforward for decades: Higher prices mean offshore projects that are further, deeper, more complex than ever before. It’s different this time, according to Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

Deepwater projects need to break even at $40 a barrel, or preferably lower, said Harry Brekelmans, Shell’s project and technology director, in an interview Monday, That’s almost half the cost of some projects commissioned before the 2014 oil-price crash, he said. On Monday, Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose to more than $75 a barrel in London.  read more

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Shell praises oil and gas operations run from Aberdeen

26 April 2018

ROYAL Dutch Shell finance chief Jessica Uhl has hailed a big increase in profitability in the North Sea and underlined the oil and gas giant’s commitment to the area.

As Shell posted a 42% increase in first quarter profits to $5.3bn (£3.8bn) from $3.8bn, helped by the rise in oil and gas prices, Ms Uhl indicated the North Sea has played a big part in the growth story.

“We’re seeing a really fantastic performance from our assets in the North Sea,” she told reporters. read more

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Shell profits soar on stronger oil prices

Ron Bousso: APRIL 26, 2018

LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell on Thursday reported a 42 percent rise in profits in the first quarter of 2018, the highest in over three years, boosted by higher oil prices and beating analysts’ expectations.

Net income attributable to shareholders in the quarter, based on a current cost of supplies (CCS) and excluding identified items, rose to $5.322 billion from a year ago, compared with a company-provided analysts’ consensus of $5.277 billion.

A year ago, net income was $3.754 billion. read more

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Oil price rise sets up Shell for big profit

Shell reported underlying profits of $16 billion last yearDANIEL KALISZ/GETTY IMAGES

Emily Gosden, Energy Editor: April 23 2018

Royal Dutch Shell is expected to report its strongest quarterly results since 2014 this week.

Boosted by the rebound in oil prices, the Anglo-Dutch energy company is expected to announce underlying profits of $5.3 billion for the three months up to March, compared with $3.8 billion in the same period last year.

Such a result would be the first time that profits have topped $5 billion since the third quarter of 2014, when crude prices were just beginning to fall below $100 a barrel. read more

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Shell’s Profits Soar From Strong Asian Demand

By Tsvetana Paraskova – Apr 20, 2018, 10:00 PM CDT

Oil major Shell has snapped up over 8 million barrels of June-loading crude oil grades from the Middle East and Russia and has resold some of the cargoes in Asia, taking advantage of the strong Asian demand, Reuters reported on Friday, citing five trading sources.

Wider Brent premium over the Middle Eastern benchmark Dubai this month has made Atlantic crude oil supplies more expensive than the Middle Eastern and Russian supplies, which are priced off the Dubai benchmark. read more

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Shell sees downstream annual organic free cash flow of $6-$7 bln by 2020

Shell sees downstream annual organic free cash flow of $6-$7 bln by 2020

Reuters Staff: MARCH 21, 2018

March 21 (Reuters) – Oil major Royal Dutch Shell on Wednesday reiterated its expectation to generate $6 billion to $7 billion annual organic free cash flow by 2020 for its downstream business. 

The business, including refining, trading, marketing and chemicals has proved its importance during the oil industry’s downturn since 2014, providing the bulk of Shell’s profits as the price of crude collapsed.

Shell has in recent years transformed its downstream business by selling some plants and upgrading others, helping the company ride out oil price fluctuations and shifts in demand and deliver double-digit returns on capital employed. read more

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BP, Shell execs report surprise production boost from mature wells

|About: BP p.l.c. (BP)|By: , SA News Editor

  • BP CEO Bob Dudley has spent 38 years in the oil business, and he says has never seen anything like what happened with the company’s mature oil fields last year – their production increased.
  • Results across the industry were not as spectacular as BP’s but still impressive, executives and officials at the CERAWeek conference said this week; the International Energy Agency reported production from mature fields fell 5.7% last year, the smallest decline in at least a decade.
  • The findings are a surprise because the oil industry cut spending dramatically during the three-year downturn, but the need to stretch each dollar spent is exactly why major oil firms are getting more from those fields, says Wael Sawan, executive VP for deepwater at Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B), which also reported improved results at its legacy wells.
  • “Companies are focusing on the basics, so there was a massive re-focus on existing wells,” Sawan tells Bloomberg. “It’s the cheapest and most profitable barrel that companies can access.”
  • read more

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    Shell’s U.S. shale output plans prioritize oil over natgas

    Ron Bousso. Ernest Scheyder: 8 March 2018

    HOUSTON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) is focused on increasing its U.S. shale operation’s oil production while slowing investment in lower-margin natural gas, an executive said on Thursday.

    The Anglo-Dutch company aims to boost its overall shale production by 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) to 500,000 boe/d between 2017 and 2020, mostly in the United States with some production in Argentina.

    Although the shale business has yet to generate a profit, it is expected to do so next year, Greg Guidry, who heads Shell’s shale operations, told Reuters on the sidelines of the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston.

    Shell, like Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) and Chevron Corp (CVX.N), aims to make shale production a driver of growth in the next decade. But today most of its output is natural gas, where profit margins are lower.

    As a result, around 85 percent of Shell’s shale budget for at least the next two years will go toward new oil resources, particularly in the Permian oilfield of West Texas and Canada’s Duvernay Basin, Guidry said. read more

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    The U.S. is about to be the world’s top crude oil producer. Guess who didn’t see it coming.

    Pump jacks at an oil field near Lost Hills, Calif. (David McNew/Getty Images)

    Opinion writer March 7 at 7:43 PM

    The authoritative International Energy Agency announced on Monday that the United States will overtake Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest crude oil producer in five years .

    To celebrate this once-unimaginable news, how about taking a trip down memory lane? The date is May 5, 2011. Diarmuid O’Connell, then the vice president of business development for Tesla, Elon Musk’s electric-car outfit, is testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. read more

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    Fossil fuel groups risk wasting $1.6tn on projects

    — Energy Editor

    Royal Dutch Shell set a new target last November to reduce the net carbon footprint of its energy products by about half by 2050. The Anglo-Dutch group has committed to spend up to $2bn a year on renewables and other cleaner sources of energy and other European oil and gas groups are making similar moves. Andrew Brown, Shell’s director of exploration and production, told a conference in London last month… FULL FT ARTICLE

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    Houston outlook bright with U.S. shale set to dominate global growth for years

    Forecasters at Royal Dutch Shell, the Anglo-Dutch oil major, have predicted that global oil demand could peak within a decade as electric cars and other clean energy technologies gain larger market shares.

    March 5, 2018 Updated: March 5, 2018 8:42pm

    Houston’s energy industry, which drives the local economy, has much brighter days ahead as global oil demand climbs, shale production booms and U.S. crude grabs larger shares of global markets, according to forecasts, industry officials and analysts.

    The United States is already pumping oil at record levels above 10 million barrels a day, surpassing Saudi Arabia, and may take over from Russia as the world’s production leader by the end of 2018. Over the next five years, daily U.S. production is expected to climb 3.5 million barrels, or 35 percent, to more than 13 million barrels, according to a forecast by the International Energy Agency, which monitors the global oil industry. read more

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    Shell To Shut Louisiana Refinery Gasoline Unit For Overhaul In June

    By Tsvetana Paraskova – Feb 23, 2018, 6:00 PM CST

    Royal Dutch Shell plans to shut for a planned overhaul the 92,000-bpd gasoline producing unit at its refinery at Convent, Louisiana, for some six weeks starting in June, Reuters reported on Friday, quoting sources familiar with the refinery’s plans.

    The gasoline-producing fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) at the 227,586-bpd Convent refinery, as well as the alkylation unit with 16,500 bpd capacity, are planned to be shut for an overhaul this summer, after Shell scrapped plans in November last year to permanently close the gasoline-producing unit at Convent. read more

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    In the deepwater versus shale oil contest, Shell backs both

    Ron Bousso, Dmitry Zhdannikov: FEBRUARY 20,2018 LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) will expand deepwater output and turn a profit from its shale production in coming years as both together will help the oil major cope with a world of low crude prices, the head of its oil and gas production said on Tuesday.

    Shell’s deepwater production in Brazil, Nigeria, the Gulf of Mexico is much bigger and more profitable, but the firm sees the nimble, fast-returns U.S. onshore shale as an engine for growth.

    “We can see strong (shale) production growth, strong cash surpluses that gives us a balance in our portfolio where you can ramp investment up and down, you can moderate that, very unlike deepwater which is quite chunky,” Andy Brown told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the IP Week conference. read more

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    Hail shale, but deepwater oil fights back

    Ron Bousso: 14 FEB 2018

    LONDON (Reuters) – Penguins, Royal Dutch Shell’s (RDSa.L) latest oil and gas development in a remote corner of the British North Sea, epitomizes the new doctrine for deepwater projects — keep it cheap and simple.

    Shunned during the oil price crash of 2014-2016, deepwater projects are being embraced again, a challenge to the surge in onshore U.S. shale output.

    Penguins, the first new major deepwater project this year, will rejuvenate the 44-year-old field by drilling 8 new wells 165 meters (541 feet) underwater and connecting them to a new production vessel. read more

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    Big Oil takes stage for post-austerity beauty contest

    Ron Bousso: 12 FEB 2018

    LONDON (Reuters) – With years of austerity in their rear-view mirrors, the world’s biggest oil companies are locked in a beauty contest to lure investors with promises of growth and greater rewards.

    Royal Dutch Shell and Total are emerging as frontrunners after a three-year slump thanks to strong growth projections but Exxon Mobil, the biggest publicly traded oil company, has largely disappointed with a weaker outlook.

    Major oil companies slashed spending and cut costs after oil prices collapsed in 2014 and can now generate as much cash with crude at $50-$55 a barrel as they did when the price was around $100 earlier in the decade. read more

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    Shell Commits to Expanding Gas Stations as Some Rivals Retreat

    Istvan Kapitany, head of Shell’s global retail business

    By Kevin Orland: 9 February 2018

    (Bloomberg) — While many oil producers are stepping back from their retail operations, Royal Dutch Shell Plc is doubling down.

    Shell, which has about 44,000 filling stations around the world, opened its first one in Mexico last year, the start of $1 billion in investments over the next decade. Shell also is ramping up spending in China, India, Indonesia and Russia, Istvan Kapitany, head of Shell’s global retail business, said in an interview in Calgary. read more

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