News and information on Shell PLC
The Times
Royal Dutch Shell shareholders vote to drop dual structure and move to London
Emily Gosden, Energy Editor: Shareholders in Royal Dutch Shell have overwhelmingly approved changes that will allow it to collapse its dual share structure and move its headquarters and tax base from the Netherlands to Britain. The changes, which are also expected to include Shelllosing “Royal Dutch” from its name
Shell Seismic Surveying: What’s all the fuss about?
Dutch energy giant, Shell, will soon be embarking on four to five months of geographic seismic surveying off the coast of the Eastern Cape and parts of the Western Cape provinces.
Thousands of South Africans are protesting against the planned survey with demonstrations taking place around the country and an online petition which garnered around 286 000 signatures as of Thursday morning.
But what is all the fuss about? What exactly is seismic surveying and why is it bad for the marine environment?
The Times
There are no calls to break up BP’s ‘cash machine’, says Bernard Looney
Emily Gosden: Wednesday, November 03 2021, 12.01 amBP is not facing calls to break itself up, such as those aimed at Royal Dutch Shell, its boss has said.
Bernard Looney said that the energy transition required integrated companies that could use oil profits to fund green investment.
He said that BP was a “cash machine” after the oil price soared in the third quarter, helping it to deliver underlying net profits of $3.3billion, up from only $86 million in the same period last year and beating forecasts of $3.1 billion.
U.S. House panel subpoenas Big Oil in climate deception probe
WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) – The head of a U.S. House panel on Tuesday subpoenaed four major oil companies and two lobbying groups for documents related to their actions on global warming as part of a year-long probe into potential climate deception by the energy industry.
Representative Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat and the chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, issued subpoenas to Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), Chevron Corp (CVX.N), BP America (BP.L) and Shell Oil (RDSa.L), and to industry body the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“Royal Dutch Shell has rejected calls to break itself up”
The Times
Shell sets new goal to cut emissions
Emily Gosden, Energy Editor: The Times
Royal Dutch Shell has rejected calls to break itself up as it set a new emissions reduction goal in an attempt to please environmental critics.
Ben van Beurden, chief executive of the Anglo-Dutch oil major, insisted that it was better able to serve the energy transition as an integrated company using its oil and gas profits to fund low-carbon investments.
NL TIMES
Designate Groningen earthquakes a national crisis, Ombudsman says
MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021
The consequences of the fracking earthquakes in Groningen have all the features of a national crisis and should therefore be designated as such, National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen said. He wants this to keep attention on the situation in Groningen until homes are reinforced, damages are repaired, and residents feel safe, Trouw reports.
“I wanted to choose words that hit so hard that people think: damn it, now we really have to do something,” the National Ombudsman said in an interview with Trouw. “In one way or another, the attention for Groningen is disappearing. Things are taking too long, and the good things don’t really happen. This is a national crisis, which the government and administration have to deal with differently.”
…the group, which became known as Ogoni 9 were activists from the Ogoni region who opposed the operating practices of the Royal Dutch Shell oil corporation…
Vanguard
Buhari mulls posthumous pardon for Saro-Wiwa, 8 others
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, hinted of a possible state posthumous pardon for the late environmental activist, Ken Saro Wiwa and others executed in the height of the Ogoni crisis in the 1990s.
President Buhari has also assured of completion of segment of the East-West road traversing Ogoni land.
Reuters
Big Oil to attend U.S. House climate disinformation hearing
October 22, 20214:21 PM BST
WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (Reuters) – Top executives from Exxon Mobil Corp, BP America, Chevron Corp and Shell Oil will testify on Oct. 28 at a congressional hearing examining whether the fossil fuel industry led an effort to mislead the public and prevent action to curb climate change warming, a House panel said on Friday.
Reporting Valerie Volcovici, Timothy Gardner and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Bill Berkrot
CITY A.M.com
Shell and BP: why we’re hopeful for a sensible transition to renewables
Sue Noffke: Monday 6 September 2021 9:13 am
The devastating effects of unchecked global warming were laid bare by this week’s landmark report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
UN secretary-general António Guterres described the report’s findings as “a code red for humanity”.
The world’s major energy companies were already on the front line of the climate change battle, but following this week’s report public scrutiny of the industry can only intensify.
Extinction Rebellion activists glued to Science Museum site in Shell protest
Kevin Rawlinson and agency: Sun 29 Aug 2021 20.09 BST
Extinction Rebellion protesters have glued or locked themselves to the railings inside the Science Museum, in a protest against the oil firm Shell’s sponsorship of its exhibition about greenhouse gases.
They chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, sponsor Shell has got to go” as those outside sang “No more petrol, no more diesel, funding fossil fuels is evil”, waved flags and banners, played drums and blew whistles.
12 August 2021
By Alex Enumah
Abuja — Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), has finally agreed to pay compensation for oil spillages in the Ogoni community of Rivers State, to the tune of N45 billion, after over 31 years of legal battles.
The legal battle, which commenced in 1991, saw judgment in favour of the Ogoni community in 2010 by Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Lagos division of the Federal High Court.
But the oil giant declined payment and proceeded up to the Supreme Court twice; first in 2017 to appeal the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had upheld the judgment of the trial court and in 2019, seeking a review of the apex court judgment dismissing its appeal.
Lucius Nwosa, a lawyer representing the Ejama-Ebubu community in Rivers state, confirmed the decision.
Museums Association
SMG under fire for ‘gagging clause’ in Shell deal
The Science Museum Group (SMG) has defended signing a “non-disparagement” agreement with the oil company Shell, the controversial sponsor of the Science Museum’s Our Future Planet exhibition on carbon capture technology.
The so-called “gagging clause” was part of a contract between the two parties obtained by the anti-oil campaign group Culture Unstained under the Freedom of Information Act, which was reported on Channel 4 News this week.
The Guardian
Oil giant Shell set to appeal against ruling on carbon emissions
Company hopes to get Dutch court ruling overturned which called for it to cut emissions faster
Jillian Ambrose: Tue 20 Jul 2021 16.42 BST
Royal Dutch Shell has confirmed that it will appeal against the landmark Dutch court ruling calling for the oil giant to cut its carbon emissions faster.
A court in The Hague reached the milestone verdict in May this year after Friends of the Earth and over 17,000 co-plaintiffs successfully argued that Shell had been aware of the dangerous consequences of CO2 emissions for decades, and that its climate targets did not go far enough.
channel4.com
Revealed: Fossil fuel companies lobby UK government for gas ‘compromise’ ahead of COP26
Siobhan Kennedy Washington Correspondent: 7 July 2021Some of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies have lobbied the UK government to support a gas “compromise” ahead of the COP26 UN conference, Channel 4 News can reveal.
Last year, representatives from ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, Equinor and BP met with the then UK trade minister for a private dinner in Texas where natural gas was championed as a “vital part of the solution” to tackling climate change, according to a freedom of information request obtained by Greenpeace UK’s investigations unit Unearthed and shared exclusively with this programme.
OILPRICE.COM
Shell To Bow Out Of California Joint Venture With Exxon
Shell (-2.37%) is reportedly planning to quit its California-based joint venture with fellow oil supermajor ExxonMobil (-3.56%) as it looks to accelerate its transition away from fossil fuels.
Four sources told Reuters that the FTSE blue chip had informed Exxon that it intended to exit subsidiary Aera Energy, in which it holds a 52 percent stake. The firm did not respond to a request for comment.
FORBES
As many know, Big Oil companies have suffered major losses as a result of the pandemic, as oil demand plummeted. Now, however, the prospects for the industry are looking more dismal than ever. As oil supermajors have faced increasing pressure to shift toward more sustainable business strategies, such pressure will certainly result in companies looking to renewables as the solution to this shift.
Recently, both Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell were hit with critical climate-related decisions. A Netherlands court ruled that Shell must drastically reduce its emissions this decade in what was “the first time a court ordered a private company to, in effect, change its business practice on climate grounds.” This was a seminal moment that will greatly benefit the clean technology space, leading it to become the norm, and no longer the alternative source for power in society.
OILPRICE.com
The Unintended Consequences Of Punishing Big Oil
By Tsvetana Paraskova – Jun 23, 2021, 12:00 PM CDT
The ‘day of reckoning’ for Big Oil, when events at boardrooms and courtrooms issued last month the starkest warning to oil majors’ license to operate yet, was hailed as a huge victory for climate activists. But the climate celebration may be a bit premature.
Rebel shareholder votes at Exxon and Chevron and a court ruling against Shell delivered a blow to Big Oil in a single day, and environmentalists are ecstatic.
The Guardian
A group of activists who were threatened with arrest on Saturday evening after staging an “occupation” of the Science Museum in London have vowed to renew their fight on Sunday.
The London branch of the UK Student Climate Network (UKSCN) organised a demonstration at the museum in protest at its decision to accept sponsorship from fossil fuel giant Shell.
The museum in South Kensington has partnered with Shell to fund its Our Future Planet exhibition about carbon capture and storage and nature-based solutions to the climate crisis.
OPL 245: Groups Urge Nigeria’s Public Prosecutor To Appeal Judgement Favouring Shell, APC
In a statement on Wednesday, spokesperson for the campaign groups noted that the judges have set a terrible precedent for the global fight against corruption involving fossil fuel companies.
BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK JUN 10, 2021
Human Rights Groups, Global Witness, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, have urged the Nigerian public prosecutor to appeal the judgement of the Milan Tribunal which acquitted Eni, Shell and others for international corruption related to the acquisition of the OPL 245 oil field in Nigeria.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Exxon’s defeat in a boardroom battle is a turning point for social activism.
June 10, 2021, 4:59 a.m. ETAn activist investor successfully waged a battle to install three directors on the board of Exxon Mobil last week with the goal of pushing the energy giant to reduce its carbon footprint. The investor, a hedge fund called Engine No. 1, was virtually unknown before the fight.
The tiny firm wouldn’t have had a chance were it not for an unusual twist: the support of some of Exxon’s biggest institutional investors. BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street voted against Exxon’s leadership and gave Engine No. 1 powerful support. These huge investment companies rarely side with activists on such issues.
Shell’s Australia boss says Big Oil faces a push for faster change
By Nick Toscano
The Australian boss of global energy giant Shell says society’s growing determination to speed up the shift to cleaner energy has driven a sharp escalation of climate pressure engulfing oil and gas producers this year.
In his first public comments since a Dutch court ordered Shell to set deeper and faster emissions cuts targeting a 45 per cent reduction by 2030, Shell Australia chairman Tony Nunan said he believed industry, governments and the public were becoming increasingly aligned on the need to achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of the century.
euronews.green
By Johnny White
Last week a Dutch court ruled that one of the world’s biggest oil companies, Royal Dutch Shell, must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by almost half in the next nine years.
It’s no exaggeration to say this landmark verdict, which linked the need for the fossil fuel company to decarbonise to climate science and human rights, is a watershed moment for corporate climate accountability.
The case, brought by Friends of the Earth Netherlands and over 17,000 Dutch citizens, established that Shell was in breach of its duty of care under the Dutch Civil Code, informed by its human rights responsibilities, by contributing dangerously to climate change.
Seeking Alpha
Nord Stream 2’s completion a ‘fait accompli,’ Blinken tells House panel
Jun. 07, 2021 2:25 PM ETBASFY, ENGIY…By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor
Engine No. 1 has told the Financial Times that Exxon will need to cut fossil fuel production for the company to position itself for long-term success, “What we’re saying is, plan for a world where maybe the world doesn’t need your barrels,” Engine No.1 leader Charlie Penner has told FT.
Meanwhile, a Dutch court has ordered Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A) to cut its greenhouse gas emissions harder and faster than it had previously planned.
Whereas climate change issues are the presumptive reasons behind the latest wave of investor revolts at the oil and gas giants, lurking beneath the surface is a growing sense of apprehension about Big Oil’s strategy and failure to generate adequate returns for shareholders in recent decades.
REUTERS
OPEC, Russia seen gaining more power with Shell Dutch ruling
Climate activists who scored big against Western majors last week had some unlikely cheerleaders in the oil capitals of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Russia.
Defeats in the courtroom and boardroom mean Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), ExxonMobil (XOM.N) and Chevron (CVX.N) are all under pressure to cut carbon emissions faster. That’s good news for the likes of Saudi Arabia’s national oil company Saudi Aramco…
Seeking Alpha
Big Oil’s Very Bad Wednesday
May 30, 2021 11:55 PM ETBNO, CVX, DBE… MV Financial
allAfrica.com
Oil Giants Get 20-Year License Extension from Nigeria
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has signed a contract with its partners on oil mining lease (OML) 118 to expand the Bonga oilfield and unlock a U.S.$10 billion investment in the country’s deepwater resources. The OML license for the block partners Shell, Total, Exxon Mobil and Eni were renewed for another 20 years, and five agreements including settlements on a tax dispute and production sharing contracts were finalized. The deal signals the end of “long-standing disputes over the interpretation of the fiscal terms of the production-sharing contracts” between the investors in the field.
EnergyVoice.com
Shell faces Dutch court ruling on global emissions
By Ed Reed: 24 May 2021
A court in The Hague will rule on May 26 on a climate case against Shell, led by Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie).
The environmentalist case demands that Shell cut CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030. Success for the NGO would see the corporation ordered to “reduce its emissions in line with global climate goals”.
The outcome, it said, should “impact climate policy and corporate accountability globally”. It does not seek compensation, rather a change to Shell’s business plan.
Shell Sells Washington Puget Sound Refinery To HollyFrontier
May 04, 2021, 16:40 ET
HOUSTON, May 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products U.S. (Shell), a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, has reached an agreement for the sale of its Puget Sound Refinery near Anacortes, Washington to a subsidiary of HollyFrontier Corporation, an independent refiner headquartered in Texas (HollyFrontier), for $350 million in cash plus the value of the hydrocarbon inventory. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2021, subject to regulatory clearance and other customary closing conditions.
Jillian Ambrose: Thu 15 Apr 2021 13.58 BST
Royal Dutch Shell has urged investors to vote for its strategy to shift the business towards cleaner energy sources, despite warnings that the plan does not go far enough to meet the Paris climate agreement goals.
The oil company set out its energy transition plan before its annual shareholder meeting in May, when investors will be able to take part in an advisory vote on Shell’s climate plans for the first time. The vote will not be binding.
Goldman Sachs board nominates Royal Dutch Shell CFO for director role
By Elizabeth Dilts Marshall:
NEW YORK, March 15 (Reuters) – Goldman Sachs Group Inc’s board of directors on Monday nominated the chief financial officer of Royal Dutch Shell plc to become its newest member.
If her appointment is approved by shareholders, Jessica Uhl will be the fifth woman director on Goldman’s board and its only member to come from the fossil fuel industry.
The bank has backed away from fossil fuel development in recent years.
Big Oil Clashes Over Fossil Fuel Future
By Charles Kennedy – Mar 02, 2021, 9:00 AM CST
Executives from major oil companies clashed over the prospects of oil and gas for the future at the first virtual edition of the CERAWeek conference in Houston.
While BP’s Bernard Looney and Shell’s Ben van Beurden boasted about their shift away from their core business and into renewable energy, Baker Hughes, Hess Corp., and Spain’s Repsol were among those believing that fossil fuels have yet to leave the scene for good, the Houston Chronicle’s Paul Takahashi reports.
Which Banks Are The Biggest Backers Of Oil And Gas?
About a month ago, BlackRock Inc.(NYSE:BLK), the world’s largest asset manager with $9 trillion in assets under management (AUM), sent shockwaves through the fossil fuel sector after it vowed to double down on climate activism by backing more shareholder resolutions on climate change and social issues in 2021.
Around the same time, the $226 billion New York State pension fund and the $5B Rockefeller Brothers Fund announced plans to divest the majority of their fossil fuel investments and also sell shares of other companies that have been actively contributing to global warming.
Shell plans to complete construction at Pennsylvania petchem project by 2022: CEO
PETROCHEMICALS: 04 Feb 2021 | 21:06 UTC: New York
New York — Shell Chemical announced that construction at its $6 billion petrochemical complex in Pennsylvania is expected to be completed in 2022, Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden said during an earnings call Feb. 4.
Shell previously expected the Pennsylvania project to start up in the first half of 2021 after suspending work in mid-March 2020 due to coronavirus pandemic concerns.
New York Becomes The First State To Divest From Oil And Gas
The Empire State’s pension fund is the largest to dump fossil fuel investments ― ever, in the entire world.
New York state announced plans on Wednesday to eject oil and gas stocks from its $226 billion financial portfolio, becoming the first U.S. state and the biggest pension fund anywhere to divest from fossil fuels.
By 2025, the New York State Common Retirement Fund, which disburses some $1 billion in benefits to retirees each year, will sell off its “riskiest” oil and gas stocks, following a review. The state aims to completely eliminate carbon polluters from its portfolio by 2040.
This is not a Shell website. That fact should be abundantly plain from the overall content of this home page and our sister Shell-focussed websites, including shellnazihistory.com. Click on the Disclaimer link at top of this page for more information. You Can Be Sure Shell does not endorse or approve of this website. There are no subscription charges nor do we solicit or accept donations. It is an entirely free to use website drawing attention to the negative side of Shell while also publishing positive news about the company. The Shell logo image with the white text used on this website, as per the above example, is in the public domain because its copyright has expired and its author is anonymous. It can be found on WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. Our shellenergy.website publishes Shell Energy customer complaints posted on Trustpilot where there is an ample supply. Use this link for Shell’s own website.
EBOOK TITLE: “SIR HENRI DETERDING AND THE NAZI HISTORY OF ROYAL DUTCH SHELL” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
EBOOK TITLE: “JOHN DONOVAN, SHELL’S NIGHTMARE: MY EPIC FEUD WITH THE UNSCRUPULOUS OIL GIANT ROYAL DUTCH SHELL” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.
EBOOK TITLE: “TOXIC FACTS ABOUT SHELL REMOVED FROM WIKIPEDIA – HOW SHELL BECAME THE MOST HATED BRAND IN THE WORLD” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
MORE DETAILS:
MORE DETAILS: After a solicitor acting for Shell threatened to make the litigation "drawn out and difficult" with the intention of draining the resources of a financially weaker opponent, my late father (Alfred Donovan) and I decided to mount a wide-ranging campaign as a counter-measure. We jointly founded the Shell Corporate Conscience Pressure Group, which nearly 15% of Shell UK retailers joined. We regularly conducted ethical surveys involving up to 1500 Shell petrol stations. All responses were opened and authenticated by an independent solicitor who supplied Affidavits confirming the results. In whole page announcements in trade magazines (examples above) we challenged Shell to commission and publish the resuits of independent research asking the same questions and offering respondents GUARANTEED anonymity. Shell never took up the invitation. Instead it asked the UK Advertising Standards Authority to investigate our Shell surveys. No problems were found. The head-cut image of Alfred Donovan appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal. 
See our link list of over 500 articles by the FT, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, Forbes, Dow Jones Newswires, New York Times, CNBC etc, plus UK House of Commons Select Committee Hansard records, information on U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission website etc. all containing references to our Shell focussed websites, or our website founders Alfred and John Donovan. Includes TV documentary features in English and German, newspaper and magazine articles, radio interviews, newsletters etc. Plus academic papers, Stratfor intelligence reports and UK, U.S. and Australian state/parliamentary publications, also citing our Shell websites. Click on this link to see the entire list, all in date order with a link to an index of over 100 books also containing references to our websites and/or our activities.
John Donovan, the website owner
A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
