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Australia’s $180 bln LNG megaproject boom enters final stretch

Australia’s $180 bln LNG megaproject boom enters final stretch

* Shell, Inpex race to tap gas in adjacent fields

* Ichthys LNG targets first output by March 2018

* Prelude FLNG seen starting between April and July

* Australia on course to 88 mln T/yr LNG export capacity

By Sonali Paul

MELBOURNE, Aug 14 (Reuters) – The last massive component of Australia’s $180 billion liquefied natural gas construction boom arrived on Monday, stepping up a race between Anglo-Dutch giant Shell and Japan’s Inpex to start chilling gas for export in 2018.

Company reputations are at stake, as well as first access to overlapping gas fields and Australia leapfrogging Qatar as the world’s largest exporter of LNG.

The Ichthys Venturer, a floating production, storage and offloading facility, travelled 5,600 km (3,500 miles) from a South Korean shipyard and will be moored 220 km off Western Australia to handle condensate from the Ichthys field. read more

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The Secret Behind Better Oil Major Earnings

By Gregory Brew – Aug 02, 2017, 6:00 PM CDT

After several years of austerity and belt-tightening, the major international oil companies posted substantial profits in Q2 of 2017. The five largest private oil companies together generated more than $30 billion in profit, an indication that most have successfully adapted to the current bout of low prices, while a few have publicly indicated their belief that prices will hover around $50 for the foreseeable future.

What this means is that the “mega projects” that dominated many companies’ balance sheets for the last decade will become increasingly rare, as the majors pivot towards short-term, low-risk ventures with a faster turnaround. A closer look at each company shows how individual firms have adapted in distinct ways to this new era. read more

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LNG possibility lives on, even after death of Pacific NorthWest LNG

And two other large global energy players with regulatory approval from the B.C. and Canadian governments say they are trying to position themselves to be ready to make a decision on building their own billions-of-dollars of mega-projects in northwest B.C. to coincide with increased demand they forecast could kick in by the middle of next decade. Those projects are LNG Canada led by Royal Dutch Shell plc and Kitimat LNG, a 50-50 venture of Chevron and Australian-based Woodside Energy. read more

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Shell backs gas export limits

: Resources reporter, Melbourne: 28 July 2017

Royal Dutch Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden has said he is very supportive of Malcolm Turnbull’s moves to impose export restrictions to increase domestic supply on the east coast, where Shell runs the Queensland Curtis LNG project.

But the oil major has revealed there have been some unspecified operational problems at QCLNG, which exports coal-seam gas from Gladstone.

Speaking on a second-quarter earnings call in London last night, Mr Van Beurden backed the Prime Minister’s intervention in the markets, which gives the government the power to restrict exports from any LNG project that is not a “net contributor” to domestic markets. read more

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Shell nears finishing line with $30billion divestment programme

Shell nears finishing line with $30billion divestment programme

Shell has completed more than 80% of its $30billion divestment programme.

Written by

The supermajor announced this morning that it had shed assets worth $25billion as part of the reshaping of its portfolio.

This included the landmark North Sea deal with Chrysaor earlier this year, worth around $3.8billion.

It also comes following the $68.2billion merger with BG Group.

The supermajor also recently agreed to sell its stake in Irish gas project Corrib in a deal worth up to 1.23 billion US dollars (£956 million).

The firm said adjusted earnings rose from 1.05 billion US dollars (£800 million) to 3.6 billion US dollars (£2.7 billion), an increase of 245%. read more

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Report: Gas could be sidelined by renewables in parts of Australia

Royal Dutch Shell, meanwhile, announced its Prelude vessel, a first-of-a-kind ship designed to process LNG off the coast of Western Australia, arrived at its destination after leaving a South Korean shipyard in June. With LNG emerging in market share because of its diverse deliverability options, Shell said the Prelude floating LNG vessel opens up new export opportunities.

By Daniel J. Graeber: 26 July 2017

July 26 (UPI) — With Australia monitoring natural gas demand, a consultant group found gas-fired power could get squeezed out in parts of the country as renewables get cheaper.

A research project from Wood Mackenzie, in coordination with GTM Research, found that wind, solar and battery costs might decline enough to the point that, by 2025, they’re competitive with gas-powered plants. For batteries in particular, whose costs are expected to decline by as much as 50 percent over the next decade, the researchers found storage capacity will be enough to meet the region’s peak residual demand. read more

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In Australia, Shell signals new era for LNG

In Australia, Shell signals new era for LNG

By Daniel J. Graeber: July 25, 2017

July 25 (UPI) — The arrival of a floating liquefied natural gas facility off the coast of Australia signals a milestone for the region as an energy hub, Royal Dutch Shell said.

The company’s Prelude vessel, its first-ever floating platform for LNG, arrived off the coast of Western Australia, after leaving its South Korean shipyard in late June.

Large for a floating facility, it’s one-quarter the size of an equivalent inland plant. With LNG emerging in market share because of its diverse deliverability options, Shell said the Prelude FLNG vessel opens up new doors in new countries. read more

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Shell, SoftBank Weigh Bids for Asia Renewables Firm Worth Up to $5 Bln – Sources

SINGAPORE — Royal Dutch Shell and SoftBank are among several global groups considering bidding for Equis Energy, Asia’s largest independent renewable energy producer valued at up to $5 billion (3.84 billion pounds), sources familiar with the matter said.

Japanese trading companies, global pension funds and buyout firms are also in the fray to buy Singapore-based Equis, the sources said, at a time when many Asian governments are expanding the use of renewable power and its costs are falling. read more

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Prelude

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Qatar signals LNG price war for market share in Asia

U.S. and European oil majors such as Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron have invested huge sums over the last decade – often more than they have spent on oil – in an attempt to dominate the LNG market, especially through mega-projects in Australia such as Chevron’s Gorgon or Shell’s Prelude.

By Henning Gloystein and Mark Tay | SINGAPORE

Qatar’s plan to boost liquefied natural gas (LNG) output by 30 percent is the opening shot in a price war for customers in Asia pitting the Gulf state against competitors from the United States, Russia and Australia.

Qatar, facing regional isolation in a diplomatic dispute with its Gulf neighbors, took energy markets by surprise on Tuesday when it said it would raise its LNG production to 100 million tonnes per year – equivalent to a third of current global supplies – within the next five to seven years. read more

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Jaw-dropping numbers behind the Shell Prelude, as the world’s biggest boat sails towards WA

Staff on board the Prelude.Picture: Shell Australia

Peter Milne: Sunday, 2 July 2017

Containing as much steel as 36 Eiffel Towers and spanning three times the length of the oval at Perth Stadium, Shell’s Prelude floating LNG facility will cut an imposing figure even in the vastness of the open seas between Asia and Australia.

The world’s biggest vessel was last night continuing on it journey from South Korea to its new home, 475km north-east of Broome.

It’s jaw-dropping scale presented more than a few headaches for engineers but the main difficulty was not accommodating the vessel’s girth, it was dealing with how close its crew would be to the millions of tonnes of gas that Prelude would process. read more

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Shell’s floating LNG facility sets sail from South Korea for Australia

Royal Dutch Shell’s Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) ship has left a shipyard in South Korea for its destination offshore northwest Australia, the company said on Thursday.

Shell’s $12.6 billion Prelude project is expected to start operating next year, the company said, after long delays since the oil major first decided to go ahead with the project in 2011.

Once the facility arrives in Australia, it will be secured to the seabed by mooring chains before it can be connected to the gas field and start operating, Shell said. read more

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Shell’s Floating LNG Facility Sets Sail From South Korea for Australia

LONDON — Royal Dutch Shell’s Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) ship has left a shipyard in South Korea for its destination offshore northwest Australia, the company said on Thursday.

Shell’s $12.6 billion (9.72 billion pounds) Prelude project is expected to start operating next year, the company said, after long delays since the oil major first decided to go ahead with the project in 2011.

Once the facility arrives in Australia, it will be secured to the seabed by mooring chains before it can be connected to the gas field and start operating, Shell said. read more

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Shell’s Prelude LNG vessel sets sail

The world’s biggest vessel – Shell’s Prelude floating LNG platform – has left the South Korean port where it was built, bound for waters off the North West.

Tug boats began towing the 488m Prelude out to sea early this morning from Samsung Heavy Industry’s Geoje shipyard, according to a website monitoring vessel movements.

Prelude was being towed by Terasea Hawk, Tereasea Falcon and Terasea Osprey, the MarineTraffic website showed.

The facility will be deployed off the North West coast to extract and process gas from the Prelude and Concerto gas fields. read more

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Gas crisis lures Shell to energy trading

by Matthew Stevens: 28 June 2017

Royal Dutch Shell has established a new energy trading business in Australia and has already started work on mitigating the growing political risk of supply-side failure in the liquid natural gas drained east coast gas market.

Shell Energy Australia recently signed its first gas supply contract with a Victorian customer and the plan is to trade actively in Australia’s domestic gas and electricity markets.

The immediate plan is that traders based in Melbourne and Brisbane will bypass existing market structures to deliver gas and electricity to, initially at least, commercial customers up and down the east coast. read more

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Shell keeps exploration and production focus in Australia

John Culbertson: May 31, 2017

May 31 (UPI) — Royal Dutch Shell said Wednesday it was keeping its exploration and production portfolio in place in Australia, but stepping back from its aviation business.

Shell’s aviation subsidiary in Australia sold to independent Viva Energy Australia for $250 million in line with the Dutch supermajor’s efforts to streamline its portfolio. Shell keeps its brand name visible in the aviation refueling sector as Viva Energy remains the licensee of its fuels.

“Shell’s upstream operations in Australia, which include exploration, production and gas commercialization, are not impacted by this announcement,” the company stated. read more

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Shell says completes sale of Australian aviation business for $250 mln

May 31 Shell

Has completed sale of its Australian Aviation Business to Viva Energy Australia for a total transaction value of approximately $250 million.

Further company coverage: (Bengaluru Newsroom: +91 80 6749 1136)

SOURCE

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Shell to sell NZ energy assets

By  and : 31 May 2017

Australian oil and gas companies that end up missing out on Origin Energy’s Lattice Energy portfolio may soon turn their attention across the Tasman, where energy giant Shell has kicked off a sales process for its New Zealand business that could be worth as much as $1 billion.

Investment bank JPMorgan has been working on a sale for the global oil company for some time, but flyer documents were finally released to prospective suitors this month. read more

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Shell’s $390m asset write-off casts doubt on CSG reserves

: Resources reporter: Melbourne: 2 MAY 2017

Shell has written off $390 million worth of newly acquired coal-seam and other gas exploration and evaluation ground associated with the Queensland Curtis LNG plant at Gladstone because of poor drilling and testing results.

Raising more questions over long-term production from Queensland coal-seam gas fields that are supposed to feed Gladstone’s three gas-hungry LNG plants for the next 20 years, the writedowns were revealed as part of $1.2 billion of impairments logged this month in local accounts for Shell’s Queensland subsidiaries. read more

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‘Very impressive’ first quarter results predicted for BP, Shell

‘Very impressive’ first quarter results predicted for BP, Shell

An analyst has said “the numbers are going to look very impressive” for oil majors Shell and BP when they publish their first quarter results this week.

Written by

Iain Armstrong, divisional director at Brewin Dolphin, said most companies could look forward to good year-on-year comparisons, considering the depths oil prices plunged to during the same quarter last year.

Brent crude slipped to below $30 at the start of 2016, having been above $110 in mid-2014.

Shell suffered pre-tax losses of $642million in the first quarter of 2016, while BP recorded pre-tax losses totalling $865million. Both firms achieved multi-billion dollar profits a year earlier. read more

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Arrow Energy wins Australian gas pipeline license, but plan on hold

MELBOURNE, May 1 (Reuters) – Arrow Energy, owned by Royal Dutch Shell <RDSa.L> and PetroChina <601857.SS>, has been granted a license to build a natural gas pipeline in Australia’s Queensland state that could contribute to easing the country’s gas supply crunch.

Queensland issued the pipeline license last Friday, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Mines said on Monday.

The 420-km (260-mile) pipeline is designed to carry gas from a coal seam gas project in Queensland’sBowen Basin to the Gladstone area. There has been no final decision yet on the pipeline because the coal seam project has not been developed. read more

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The end is nigh for Shell in New Zealand

  • The Wall Street Journal

Royal Dutch Shell has taken a step towards an exit from its New Zealand assets with a deal to sell its 50 per cent stake in a natural-gas field to local venture partner Todd Energy.

The agreement will also see Shell take full control of a joint-venture company that operates two further gas ventures in New Zealand, simplifying Shell’s operating structure as it looks to offload the assets. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

The sale of its stake in the Kap­uni field in New Zealand’s Taranaki region to Todd Energy follows a review of operations in the country that Shell announced in December 2015 as part of ­efforts to refocus its natural-gas and deepwater oil businesses following a slump in oil prices. read more

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Shell’s QGC to sell gas to Orica, Engie as trims LNG exports

Shell’s QGC to sell gas to Orica, Engie as trims LNG exports

Shell has signed two new deals to supply gas to east coast buyers in response to mounting pressure on the Queensland LNG exporters not to let industrial customers on the east coast go short.

The short-term agreements to supply gas to Orica and power producer Engie mean that Shell’s LNG venture in Gladstone will trim LNG exports to make more available for local users, said the oil major’s new Australia chair, Zoe Yujnovich.

However Shell wouldn’t disclose its revised forecasts for LNG exports from its $25 billion Queensland Curtis venture which typically ships about eight cargoes a month from its 8.5 million tonnes a year Curtis Island plant. read more

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Shell Australia chair blasts ‘complacent’ policy

by Angela Macdonald-SmithMar 24, 2017 at 11:00 PM

Outgoing Shell Australia chairman Andrew Smith has held up Australia’s faltering energy policy and its “complacent” stance on competitiveness as risks to the energy giant’s appetite for investment here to grow in “new energy” areas such as renewables.

Mr Smith, who started with Shell as a refinery engineer in Geelong in 1986 and is being promoted after four years as “country chair”, said Australia needs “massive” investment to move towards a position of “net zero” emissions. read more

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Shell to drill new wells by end-2018 to shore up Australia gas supply

Royal Dutch Shell said on Tuesday it will drill 161 new gas wells at its Queensland operations by the end of 2018, helping to underpin its promise to continue supplying 10 percent of the domestic gas market to help prevent a shortage.

The project at its QGC operations in the Surat Basin in southeast Queensland has been planned for some time as existing wells decline, with the new wells due to be drilled this year and next. The wells will help sustain Shell’s 75 petajoules of gas supplies a year to eastern Australia’s gas market. read more

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Australia hauls in gas majors to avert local shortage

By Sonali Paul | SYDNEY

Australia’s top gas producers, led by ExxonMobil Corp and Royal Dutch Shell, agreed to boost supply to the country’s domestic market to help avert an energy shortage following crisis talks with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Australia is on track to become the world’s largest exporter of liquified natural gas (LNG), yet its energy market operator has warned of a domestic gas crunch from 2019 that could trigger industry supply cuts and broad power outages. read more

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On board Shell’s Prelude barge, the world’s biggest vessel

PAUL GARVEY: Resources reporter, Perth: 4 March 2017

The biggest vessel the world has ever seen is in the final stages of preparation ahead of its maiden voyage to its permanent home off Australia’s northwest coast.

Royal Dutch Shell’s revolutionary Prelude floating liquefied natural gas facility — 50 per cent longer and six times the weight of the world’s largest aircraft carrier — is deep into the commissioning process at a shipyard in Korea, with the 120 Australians who will man the vessel already on board to familiarise themselves with the monster. read more

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Shell’s Paul Goodfellow to move on after £3billion sale

Written by Jeremy Cresswell – 17/02/2017 7:39 am

After roughly two years steering the unit through huge changes against a background of the third major oil price storm to rock the North Sea, Paul Goodfellow is taking on a new challenge as Shell’s executive vice president wells based at Rijkswijk in the Netherlands from April 1.

Assuming command in Aberdeen is Steve Phimister, who has for the past year been UK “transition lead” for the integration of BG Group’s business into Shell following the successful £36billion takeover completed early last year. read more

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Shell names Yujnovich as chair, Smith to lead global trading

MATT CHAMBERS: Resources reporter Melbourne 4 Feb 2017

Shell Australia chairman Andrew Smith has been promoted to lead the oil major’s global trading business and will be replaced in April by the oil giant’s Canadian-based head of oil sands and former Rio Tinto executive Zoe Yujnovich.

Mr Smith, who has been at the helm of Shell Australia since 2013, has been promoted to lead Shell’s Singapore-based trading and supply business as executive vice- president.

During Mr Smith’s tenure, Shell has become the biggest producer of Australian LNG thanks to the Gorgon project in which it has a non-operating stake, and the acquisition of BG Group. Mr Smith played a key role in the deal. read more

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Shell plans Australian solar plants that can switch to gas

MATT CHAMBERS Resources reporter: Melbourne4 Feb 2017

Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell is looking to invest in Australian solar plants that can switch to gas when needed to deliver baseload power supply as debate rages over renewable energy security in the wake of South Australia’s ­crippling power outages.

Shell, which is Australia’s biggest LNG exporter and one of the world’s largest oil companies, has revealed that Australia was one of three global locations, along with Oman and Brunei, where it was studying pairing renewable energy with gas, after last year flagging “new energies” would be a potential major source of growth for the fossil fuel company beyond 2020. read more

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Shell Prelude LNG over-promise and under-delivery

Extracts from a Reuters/Nasdaq article Australia’s Ichthys LNG dealt blow as major contractor pulls plug”  dated 25 Jan 2017.

Australia’s$200 billion LNG production ramp-up is one of the biggest increases in supply the industry has ever seen, and it will lift Australia over Qatar as the world’s biggest exporter of the fuel.

Even so, most of Australia’s LNG projects currently under construction, including Chevron’s huge Gorgon facility and Royal Dutch Shell’s floating Prelude production vessel, are having trouble keeping within budget and sticking to schedules, and more delays are expected. read more

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BP buys, while Shell sells: a recap of recent deal making by the majors

Written by Mark Lammey – 20/12/2016 6:00 am

While Shell has been selling assets to make good on its $30billion divestment plan for 2016-18, BP has flashed the cash with a number of big investments.

Shell said yesterday that it had raised $1.65billion (£1.33billion) in asset sales, while rival oil major BP has revealed plans to invest heavily on African licences.

Shell will make $1.4billion from the sale of a 31.2% stake in refiner Showa Shell Sekiyu to Japan’s Idemitsu Kosan, the firm said yesterday. read more

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Shell to sell Australian aviation fuels unit to Viva Energy

Shell to sell Australian aviation fuels unit to Viva Energy

by Angela Macdonald-Smith: 19 December 2016

Royal Dutch Shell has struck a $US250 million ($343 million) deal to sell its local aviation fuels division to Viva Energy in a further slimming down of its downstream operations in Australia.

The sale follows the oil giant’s $2.9 billion divestment of its other refining and fuels activities to Viva in 2014 and comes amid heightened speculation that Shell is getting set to offload its remaining stake in Woodside Petroleum.

The deal, expected to formally close by md-2017, will see the Shell brand still used for the aviation refuelling business under a licensing deal similar to the arrangement Viva has to use the logo for its petrol retailing business. Regulatory approvals still need to be secured. read more

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Shell’s Woodside stake sale on cards as oil prices rally

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BRIDGET CARTERMergers & Acquisitions Editor Sydney: December 5, 2016

Following Archer Daniels Midland’s sale of its GrainCorp stake on Friday, the next big block trade to watch out for is a $3 billion-odd sale by Shell out of Woodside Petroleum.

Shell has an interest of close to 14 per cent in the business, and the oil price rally last week that triggered a run on Woodside’s shares has many watching the situation.

In 2014, Shell sold a 19 per cent interest in Woodside for $41.35 per share through Citi and Goldman Sachs, and four years earlier, it offloaded a 10 per cent stake at $42.23 in a deal underwritten by UBS. read more

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Market keeps watching brief on Shell’s Woodside stake

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by Sarah Thompson Anthony Macdonald Joyce Moullakis

With December’s silly season now underway, brokers are left with precious few trading days to launch any significant placements and block trades.

But one stake remains at the top of every firm’s watchlist: Shell’s 13.3 per cent stake in Woodside Petroleum.

Firstly, there’s a motivated seller. The oil giant’s chief financial officer Simon Henry classified the $3.4 billion stake as “available for sale” when he informed investors in August of a change in how Shell classifies its stake in the Australian oil and gas producer. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell stand-off over New Zealand oil asset

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BRIDGET CARTER: Mergers & Acquisitions Editor, Sydney: @BridgetCarterNovember 14, 2016

Shell appears to be in a stand-off with Todd Energy over the future of its $1 billion-plus portfolio of oil exploration and production assets in New Zealand, according to sources.

Investment bank JPMorgan is understood to be working for the energy company, although no formal process has yet been launched, according to sources, despite suggestions that documents would start being sent out around August. read more

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Shipping to become ‘major new sector’ for LNG: Shell

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by Angela Macdonald-Smith: 2 November 2016

Demand for LNG as a ship fuel has emerged as a much needed new source of growth in the oversupplied market, with oil giant Royal Dutch Shell giving a bullish assessment of the impact of tighter international rules on maritime emissions.

Shell’s head of integrated gas Maarten Wetselaar told investors in London that between shipping and trucking, the transport sector had become “a major new sector” for the LNG market.

The shipping market and the heavy trucking market together represent about 750 million tonnes of potential LNG demand, about three times the current global LNG supply, Mr Wetselaar said. He signalled that last week’s announcement of new rules on emissions from shipping had made Shell more positive on demand from the sector, noting it was an area where the competition was oil rather than cheap coal. read more

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Shell Smashes Estimates as BG Acquisition Drives Up Output

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By Rakteem Katakey: November 1, 2016

Royal Dutch Shell Plc reported third-quarter profit that beat analyst estimates after its acquisition of BG Group Plc boosted oil production, helping to counter a slump in prices. The shares rose.

Profit adjusted for one-time items and inventory changes advanced 17 percent from a year earlier to $2.79 billion, The Hague-based Shell said Tuesday. That exceeded the $1.79 billion average estimate of 14 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg, and the earnings of U.S. giant Exxon Mobil Corp. 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.

Dutch Royals head to the races in Perth

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The Dutch King and Queen will head to the racetrack on day two of their Perth visit.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will meet with trainers, owners and jockeys in the mounting yard, walk through the crowd and grandstand before watching the Melbourne Cup.

Fashion aficionados will be keen to see what the glamorous Argentinian-born Queen Maxima wears, given she is known for her chic sense of style.

On Monday, she stood out in a beige and green dress by Dutch designer Mattijs van Bergen with a matching fascinator, gloves and jewel-encrusted necklace. 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.

Australian Government unconvinced about FLNG safety claims

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By Bill Campbell (Retired HSE Group Auditor, Shell International)

Comment on: Shell Australia’s giant Prelude floating LNG project likely to come on stream in 2017

(refer to 295-page Report by Economics and Industry Steering Committee issued 7 May 2015)

Much has been written on this website about FLNG, the Prelude specifically raising doubts about the validity of claims by Shell that FLNG risks are as safe as if not more so than conventional offshore installations. The Government report raised considerable concerns in relation to the safety of FLNG facilities. In particular, concerns were raised about the compact nature of the working environment offshore relative to the space afforded to an onshore LNG processing plant and that the facilities will remain manned during cyclonic storms. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Australia’s giant Prelude floating LNG project likely to come on stream in 2017

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20 September 2016

Royal Dutch Shell is building the world’s largest floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project, which has the potential to transform the way natural gas resources are developed. It is designed to recover resources offshore that would otherwise be too costly or difficult to develop without the need to lay pipelines and build processing plants on land. In this article, Hazardex takes a look at the latest developments in this ground-breaking project.

The Prelude natural gas field was discovered by Shell in the Browse Basin off north Western Australia in 2007 with an additional field, Concerto, discovered nearby in 2009. Combined, these gas fields have around 3 trillion cubic feet of liquids-rich gas. The Australian Government gave the Prelude FLNG project environmental approval on November 12, 2010, and Shell took the final investment decision (FID) on May 20, 2011. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Royal Dutch Shell: An Unsustainable Dividend

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Jesse Moore: Sept 15, 2016

Summary

  • Shell is funding its dividend and capital expense programs through a combination of debt and asset sales.
  • Those assets are operating, economic assets that provide long-term value to the company under its assumptions.
  • Shell has one year of leeway at current prices to fund its dividend after that rising debt will put too much pressure on the companies balance sheet.
  • Since I have a negative outlook on prices till at least 2018, I expect a Shell dividend cut in the first half of 2017.
  • Adding to the long list of resource companies with debt-funded dividends, we have Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B). With a current yield of nearly 8%, and assuming you knew nothing about oil and gas, you could reasonably conclude this company is in peak operating condition. Unfortunately for investors, that story would be far from true.

Capital Expense – Free Cash Gap Growing

Many Shell investors focus on the stability of the dividend as a hallmark of the stock. Those investors are seemingly immune to what the balance sheet, cash flow statement tell us. As the company has pushed towards gas and is being pushed by its investors towards renewables, the capital expense bills have piled up. Throughout the oil downturn, Shell has hardly reduced capital expense in line with free cash flow – a result of long-term project planning that cannot be reined in. 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.

Chevron Corporation, Royal Dutch Shell: Is the LNG Market Nearing Saturation?

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By Staff Writer on Sep 7, 2016 at 3:19 pm EST

In the past few years, the global energy market has undergone major changes. The usage of traditional energy resources has dropped significantly, while demand for cleaner, environmental-friendly energy sources has escalated. People are now increasingly becoming aware of the effects of greenhouse gases emissions from conventional energy sources, crude oil, and coal on our natural environment and most importantly, the ozone layer.

Last year, the Paris Agreement (COP21) was a major breakthrough for the renewable industry, as leaders from around 195 countries agreed to curb their carbon emissions. The energy producers aim to maintain the rise in global temperature to 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels in the coming few years. The agreement has provided a positive momentum to the green-tech resources as a number of international energy companies have now started to increase their exposure in the segment. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Australia attacks Victoria’s ban on fracking, gas moratorium

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John Dagge, Herald Sun: August 30, 2016 

SHELL Australia has blasted the Victorian government’s move to permanently ban fracking and extend a moratorium on conventional onshore gas development, saying it will result in higher energy bills.

Chairman Andrew Smith has also warned the decision will cost the state investment dollars and jobs and make it more difficult for manufacturers, already under pressure, to stay in business.

“Every Victorian household and business will now pay higher energy prices moving forward,” Mr Smith said. 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.

‘Business as usual’ for Shell in New Zealand

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Shell’s New Zealand boss has reportedly said business was proceeding “as usual” amid reports the company was planning to divest its entire $1billion-plus portfolio in the country.

Australian media reports said late last week that JP Morgan had been hired to offload Shell’s assets, which were placed under review by the oil giant in December.

But Rob Jager told New Zealand media outlets the company was still looking at a range of options and that it was “business as usual”. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell advises JPMorgan to sell $1bn NZ oil portfolio

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BRIDGET CARTERMergers & Acquisitions Editor, Sydney

GRETCHEN FRIEMANNMergers & Acquisitions Editor, Sydney

19 August 2016

Shell has called on investment bank JPMorgan to offload its $1 billion-plus portfolio of oil exploration and production assets in New Zealand, with some analysts questioning whether Australian players will express interest in the offering.

It comes as part of a global selldown by the oil and gas giant, which signalled a retreat from various markets, amid a $US30bn ($39bn) global asset sale plan following its $US50bn takeover of BG Group. 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.

Australia: Shell calls for more immigration

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Mr Smith cited the immigration legacy of Australian gold rush towns like Bendigo. Picture: Gary Ramage.

MATT CHAMBERS

  • The Australian
  • 1:37PM August 4, 2016
  • Shell Australia chairman Andrew Smith has called for greater levels of immigration to bolster population growth, saying industry has failed to advocate for immigration policy that will help the economy.

    “Often-hysterical debate has surrounded Australian immigration in the new millennium,” Mr Smith told a Melbourne Mining Club lunch. read more

    This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

    Shell quiz: when is a stake ‘held for sale’ on sale?

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    • The Australian
    • 12:00AM August 2, 2016

    BRIDGET CARTERMergers & Acquisitions Editor: Sydney

    GRETCHEN FRIEMANNMergers & Acquisitions Editor: Sydney

    It’s unlike the CFO of an oil major to be imprecise when it comes to accounting classifications of assets.

    Unless maybe he doesn’t mind causing a bit of mischief for a joint venture partner with whom relationships have been less than rosy of late.

    Shell finance director Simon Henry set the hares running last week during a second-quarter earnings call when he declared the company’s 13.3 per cent stake in Woodside Petroleum had been reclassified first as “held available for sale” and then “held as an asset for sale”. 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.

    LNG takes another lurch toward financial oblivion

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    Lachlan Barker: 27 July 2016

    The future for gas companies is looking grim and this means market forces will effect what our governments should have done and force the industry’s closure, says Lachlan Barker.

    THE FINANCIAL REPORTING news for Queensland’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) companies is disastrous – for yet another quarter.

    Santos were the first out with their second quarterly production report and even I – a fairly close observer of the LNG market – couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. 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.

    Is Gas The Future? Shell Seems To Think So

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    By Gregory Brew – Jul 20, 2016

    The world’s second largest private oil company sees a new future, and it’s not in oil.

    Shell has made a concerted effort to shift the bulk of its business from oil-related projects to natural gas, LNG and renewables. Coming on the heels of its February purchase of BG Group (a $54 billion acquisition), Shell has organized a division focused solely on renewable energy. It announced new investment for its LNG facility on Curtis Island in Australia, where natural gas has enjoyed $180 billion in new capital. It has emerged as a stronger voice on global climate change than its competitor ExxonMobil and the company’s website proposes a number of “Shell Scenarios” that could allow for a growing energy market while creating less CO2. 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.