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Shell’s defence of big oil is too hopeful

September 11, 2017, 11:40:00 AM EDT By Reuters

By Andy Critchlow

LONDON, Sept 11 (Reuters Breakingviews) – Royal Dutch Shell, looking deeply into its crystal ball, sees a future that’s still heavily dependent on oil. The Anglo-Dutch giant expects crude will continue to play a major role in global energy supply for decades, even in its less oil-friendly scenario. That optimism goes someway to justifying the billions of dollars it continues to invest in exploiting new reserves and expanding its fuel network. But it’s also a view that may place too much faith in the combustion engine – and China staying with its current strategy. read more

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Shell Is Nothing Short Of Exemplary

Earnings Forecast Focus: Sep. 5, 2017 6:49 PM ET

Summary

  • Shell CEO Ben van Beurden’s “lower forever” quote was aimed at operating costs and overall company culture. It does not reflect the CEO’s oil price outlook.
  • The company’s operational excellence has been nothing short of exemplary.
  • Scrip dividend will be removed when gearing is down to 20% from the current 25%.
  • At the current rate, it should take no more than twelve months to reduce the gearing to 20%.
  • Obviously, the dividend is safe. More importantly, this is an opportunity to buy a company with excellent leadership.

Royal Dutch Shell’s (RDS.A) (RDS.B) transformation under CEO Ben van Beurden has been truly remarkable. The relatively new CEO has put his mark on the company. He has shown that Shell, under his leadership, has the ability to navigate the downturn with relative ease. Not only that, he has shown the ability to transform a company when most other companies are busy trying to survive. While I won’t be spending much time on the dividend safety, as that has been made clear over and over again, it is safe to say that the 6.6% yield is beyond safe. Investors now have the opportunity to purchase a 6.6% yield with additional capital appreciation should oil rebound. read more

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What You Missed in Royal Dutch Shell plc’s Quarterly Report

Global energy giant Royal Dutch Shell hinted at how one number, over time, could change the future of the company

Reuben Gregg Brewer: (TMFReubenGBrewer): Sep 1, 2017 at 9:16AM Royal Dutch Shell plc (NYSE:RDS-A) (NYSE:RDS-B) is one of the world’s largest integrated oil majors. It competes with the likes of ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Total. It recently doubled down on the energy business with a $50 billion acquisition. But while it’s working to pay off the debt it took on to get that deal done, CEO Ben van Beurden made an interesting statement about the future that you may have missed in the numbers of Shell’s quarterly report.

What Shell looks like now

There’s no question about how Royal Dutch Shell makes money. It is one of the world’s largest oil and natural gas drillers, with a large footprint in liquified natural gas. Oil and gas have been the driving force, broadly speaking, throughout all of the company’s over 100-years of existence. Investor questions generally focus on what management is doing to support and grow its core operations.

In the first half of the year that included capital spending of roughly $11.5 billion. The goal for the year is for capital spending of between $25 and $30 billion. Right now management expects to be toward the low-end of that range. That range, meanwhile, is the goal every year from now until 2020. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell In The Clear

: Aug 23, 2017

Summary

  • Shell’s latest quarter was marked by successful cost reductions and acquisition-related synergies.
  • Shell seems to be able to meet its cash flow obligations without much trouble.
  • I recommend Shell for income investors, but with a few caveats.

Back on May 24th I “sounded the all clear” on Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) (NYSE:RDS.B). Shell, I felt, would henceforth be able to pay its dividends and capital expenditure from operational cash flow. Shell’s latest quarter was another continuation of that, with ongoing synergies from the huge BG Group acquisition two years ago and also continued opex savings. Shell’s pro-forma workforce is about 30% smaller than it was in the beginning of 2016, and while that may not be good for employees who were laid off, it is a reflection of impressive modernization and productivity gains from the company itself. read more

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Shell to Mull Buying Israeli, Cyprus Gas for Egypt Plant

Royal Dutch Shell Plc is seeking creative solutions to bring gas from Israel and Cyprus to market, a step that could help turn the Mediterranean region into a major gas-producing hub.

Shell is in talks to buy natural gas from Israel’s Leviathan field, combine it with output from Cyprus’s Aphrodite field, in which it owns a 35 percent stake, and pump it to a liquefied natural gas plant in Egypt, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Talks are at an early stage and some of Aphrodite’s gas could be sold locally, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. read more

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Hints Shell is searching for life after oil

The management team wants the company to focus on long-term returns, which means investing in different types of projects.

Tyler Crowe: (TMFDirtyBird):Aug 17, 2017 Like so many other integrated oil and gas companies, Royal Dutch Shell‘s (NYSE:RDS-A) (NYSE:RDS-B) goal of the past several years was to preserve capital by any means possible in the short term without giving up too much of the future. Based on the company’s most recent earnings report, it has done a pretty good job of achieving that first goal. The second part? That is all up to what Shell’s management does from here.There were several hints on the company’s most recent conference call that suggest Shell has developed a new playbook that looks very different than its prior one. Here are quotes from that conference call that show Shell’s possible future.

Making the grade

Shell has been trying to pull off an elaborate corporate shift over the past couple of years. It wanted to absorb and integrate BG Group into Shell, unload about $30 billion in assets from the combined company to lower total debt levels, reduce operating costs and capital spending, and get back to generating enough cash to cover capital expenditures and dividends. To make this transformation even more challenging, it was trying to do it in a low oil price environment.

Based on the company’s most recent performance, it looks like management has pulled it off. Here’s CEO Ben van Beurden taking stock of the situation. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell: If I Could Buy Just One Energy Stock

I’ve advocated CEO Ben van Beurden is the real deal. He’s a no-nonsense Dutchman with an eye for business simplification and efficiency; precisely what Shell needed.

: Aug. 11, 2017 9:55 AM ET

Summary

  • In 2017, most energy stocks have under performed.
  • Amidst the castaways, there’s a Super Major gem hiding in plain sight.
  • It’s a turnaround story wrapped in a 6.7% dividend yield.

Of all the companies I follow, one 2Q 2017 earnings release stood out. The company blew out Street estimates. Management continued to fulfill promises to investors. Remarkably, the stock resides in 2017’s most downtrodden neighborhood: Energy.

The company is Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) (RDS.B).

For those that follow my work here on Seeking Alpha, I’ve been constructive on RDS shares for a long time. I’ve advocated CEO Ben van Beurden is the real deal. He’s a no-nonsense Dutchman with an eye for business simplification and efficiency; precisely what Shell needed. In 2014, Mr. van Beurden was elevated to the CEO role after an outstanding run at Shell Chemical. 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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Shell Braces For ‘Lower Forever’ Oil As Profits Soar

Shell Braces For ‘Lower Forever’ Oil As Profits Soar

by  Reuters: Ron Bousso & Karolin Schaps: Thursday, July 27, 2017

LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell is gearing up for a world of “lower forever” oil prices, its Chief Executive Ben van Beurden said on Thursday, after the company’s profits tripled in the second quarter.

The oil and gas industry has struggled with three years of weak prices while also facing the prospect of oil demand plateauing by the end of the next decade.

But Europe’s largest energy company was able to boost its profits more than expected, increase cash flow to $12.2 billion and reduce debt thanks to asset sales and as big savings introduced since the oil price collapse kicked in. 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 gets everything right except producing oil

Andy Critchlow: JULY 27, 2017

LONDON (Reuters Breakingviews) – Royal Dutch Shell is great at producing profit, but less so at producing oil. The Anglo-Dutch energy giant has more than tripled its earnings in the second quarter, helped by the strong performance of its downstream refining business and recovering prices. With its debt falling too, the company is doing the right things for shareholders – except in the crucial area of pumping more fuel.

At first glance, Shell’s financial performance suggests that three years in the doldrums for big oil majors may have come to an end. On Thursday, the company reported an impressive 245 percent year-on-year rebound in clean earnings to $3.6 billion for the three-month period ending in June. Prices, which recovered from a slump last January below $30 per barrel, have helped, but there is more to it. read more

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Shell sees oil demand peaking by late 2020s as electric car sales grow

By Ron Bousso and Karolin Schaps

LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) – The world’s oil consumption could peak as early as the end of the next decade as electric vehicles become more popular, Royal Dutch Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden said on Thursday.

The prospect of a decline in oil consumption after more than a century of growth as the world switches to burning cleaner fuels is gathering pace. On Wednesday Britain announced plans to ban diesel and gasoline vehicles by 2040, following a similar move by France. read more

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Europe’s Oil Giants Recover From Three-Year Slump

LONDON/PARIS — Europe’s major oil and gas companies have turned a corner after a three-year slump, reporting strong growth in profits as cost cutting paid off and vowing to press on with saving more money amid a fragile recovery in oil prices.

Royal Dutch Shell, France’s Total and Norway’s Statoil reported sharp increases in cash flow from operations in the second quarter as profits beat analyst expectations, meaning they can all comfortably pay dividends and reduce debt. read more

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Shell Profits Triple on Stronger Refining, Oil Prices

Shell CEO Ben van Beurden

LONDON — Royal Dutch Shell more than tripled its profits in the second quarter to beat forecasts boosted by strong refining operations and a rise in oil prices.

The Anglo-Dutch oil and gas company also reported a huge recovery in cash flow to $12.2 billion and a drop in debt as its cost reduction efforts in recent years paid off. It has sold some $25 billion of assets since acquiring BG Group last year.

The strong results came despite a dip in oil and gas production versus the previous quarter as a result of reduced output from a facility in Qatar. 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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Royal Dutch Shell’s earnings more than triple in 2Q

July 27 at 2:53 AM

LONDON — Royal Dutch Shell says second-quarter earnings more than tripled as it benefited from a cost-cutting drive and recovering oil prices.The Anglo-Dutch energy giant said Thursday that profit adjusted for changes in the value of inventories and excluding one-time items rose to $3.60 billion from $1.05 billion in the same period last year. Net income rose 31 percent to $1.55 billion.CEO Ben van Beurden says the earnings reflect Shell’s restructuring to cope with lower oil prices and the purchase of natural gas producer BG Group. Shell’s oil price averaged $45.62 a barrel for the quarter, up 16 percent from a year earlier. Prices were above $100 a barrel as recently as 2014. Van Beurden says the “external price environment and energy sector developments mean we will remain very disciplined.” 
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Shell shifts focus to chemicals, refining: Financieele Dagblad

Anglo-Dutch energy giant Royal Dutch/Shell is shifting its focus toward downstream operations like refining and chemicals and away from traditional upstream activities like exploring for oil and gas, the Financieele Dagblad said on Wednesday.

This shift is likely to become even clearer when the company publishes its second quarter figures on Thursday, the paper said.

Shell’s investment in exploration slumped to $157m in the first quarter of 2017 from an annual quarterly average of between $500m to $600m in recent years, the paper points out.  This is partly due to the group’s recent acquisition of the BG Group which has large deep-sea reserves off the coast of Brazil. read more

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Shell profits set to treble as prices rise and costs cut

Oil companies have focused on cost cutting as they adjust to a prolonged period of lower prices, raising fears of more job losses

Analysts expect the Anglo-Dutch group to have one of the strongest performances of the oil majors in the three months to June, with profits leaping to $3.15 billion, from $1.05 billion in the same period last year.

However, the second quarter last year was a torrid one for oil giants after the collapse in crude prices.

Shell’s results a year ago were also weighed down by hundreds of millions of dollars of one-off redundancy and restructuring charges after its takeover of BG Group, cutting its headline profits to only $239 million. read more

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Canadian pension fund bullish as Shell pulls plug on Corrib stake

Shell’s disillusionment with the Corrib investment, where protests and opposition delayed production by more than a decade…

13 July 2017

No doubt, Shell is glad to see the back of the Corrib natural gas field, even if it is on track to lose about €1 billion on 15 years of heavy investment in the controversial project.

The sale of its 45 per cent interest in the gas field off the Mayo coast to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) for €830 million is part of a $30 billion (€26.3 billion) asset sale programme by the Anglo-Dutch group as it seeks to cut its $90 billion debt pile following its takeover of smaller UK rival BG Group early last year. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell: Talking The Talk, But Walking The Walk?

: July 12, 2017

Summary

  • CEO Ben van Beurden reinforces Shell’s readiness to play its part in achieving Paris agreement targets, but execution on this goal unclear.
  • Shell to acquire Texas company MP2 Energy, which has renewable energy and demand response focus.
  • Shell endorses Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures report.

There is massive change happening in the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy in the power and transport industries. While the major oil and gas companies have acknowledged the change, apart from Total (NYSE:TOT) there is little indication that other oil companies Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), Chevron (NYSE:CVX) or BP (NYSE:BP) have concrete plans to change quickly. Here I consider whether Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A)(NYSE:RDS.B) is getting serious about the change.

All of the oil and gas majors are under pressure, but Shell is particularly challenged as its debt has blown out due the acquisition of BG Group for $50 billion. A key part of the next steps involves debt reduction through divestment. The BG investment could prove problematic as the world is awash with new LNG projects coming on stream. For the last 3 quarters it could pay its high dividend (6.9%) from free cash flow, but this was in an environment where the Brent price was $54/barrel. This can’t continue if the oil price stays where it is now. So it is a pretty challenging time for Shell. read more

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Shell Mulls LNG-Hub Network as Use by Ships and Trucks Expands

By Rakteem Katakey: July 11, 2017

(Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the oil company that spent more than $50 billion to buy natural-gas producer BG Group Plc, is looking to expand demand for the fuel in transport to ensure its output is consumed.

Shell is studying developing a global network of liquefied natural gas supply hubs for vehicles including ships, Steve Hill, executive vice president for gas and energy marketing and trading, said Monday at the World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul. read more

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Shell, Korean gas co. ponder LNG partnership with Energy Transfer Partners

South Korean gas company and Royal Dutch Shell are considering throwing their weight behind yet another liquefied natural gas plant.

Energy Transfer Partners announced on Thursday that Korea Gas Corporation and BG LNG Services, a Houston-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, are interested in working with the Dallas pipeline giant on its Lake Charles LNG Liquefaction Project.

The Lake Charles project in Louisiana is wholly owned by Energy Transfer and its entities. The company expects to build on its existing regasification import facility there. 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’s $1 Billion New Zealand Sale Said to Draw OMV, Vermilion

By Brett Foley , Perry Williams , and Scott Deveau
23 June 2017, 04:47 BST

Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s sale of its remaining New Zealand energy assets has drawn interest from companies including OMV AG and Vermilion Energy Inc., people with knowledge of the matter said.

Vermilion has been talking with potential financial partners about bidding together for Shell’s stakes in two New Zealand gas fields, one of the people said. Smaller local energy companies including Greymouth Petroleum Ltd. have also been considering teaming up with other investors for joint offers, the people said, asking not to be identified as details are private. The assets could fetch as much as $1 billion, the people said. read more

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Shell to cash in $10bn from divestments in second half

Written by

Biraj Borkhataria of RBC Capital Markets said the influx should go towards reducing the oil major’s debts and act as a clear catalyst for outperformance.

The Anglo-Dutch energy giant’s net debt currently stands about $72billion and Shell wants to shave off about $20billion to reduce gearing − the level of a company’s debt related to its equity capital − to around 20%.

Shell is in the midst of a push to sell $30billion worth of assets between 2016 and 2018 to rebalance its books following its takeover of BG Group. read more

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Shell Starts Production At New FPSO In Pre-Salt Brazilian Field

By Zainab Calcuttawala – May 26, 2017, 10:00 PM CDT

Royal Dutch Shell’s Brazilian subsidiary BG E&P Brasil and partners began production in a deepwater field in the Santos Basin on Friday, according to a new report by World Oil.

The floating production storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) P-66 sits at a depth of 2,150 meters and can extract 150,000 barrels of oil and six million cubic meters of natural gas per day. The vessel is the first in a series commissioned by Petrobras to exploit the BM-S-11 block within a consortium. read more

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Shell to sell C$4.1 billion stake in Canadian Natural -sources

Shell to sell C$4.1 billion stake in Canadian Natural -sources

By John Tilak and David French: 23 May 2017

TORONTO/NEW YORK, May 23 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc has decided to offload a roughly C$4.1 billion ($3 billion) stake in Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (CNRL) that it acquired as part of a deal to retreat from Canada’s oil sands earlier this year, people familiar with the situation told Reuters.

Shell has been interviewing investment banks to hire a financial adviser for the share sale, four people said in the past week, declining to be named as the discussions are confidential. read more

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Shell-BG Merger Benefits Becoming More Clear

: May 8, 2017

When I decided to position for a coming oil price recovery towards the end of 2015, I decided on buying Shell (NYSE:RDS.A), alongside Suncor (NYSE:SU) and Chevron (NYSE:CVX). My investment strategy always has a longer term horizon, therefore Shell was an obvious choice, given the very generous dividend. When deciding to hold a stock for a number of years, it really makes a difference, as long as the dividend is sustainable, of course.

There were other factors which I saw as positive long term prospects that makes Shell stock worth holding on to for a while. Shell’s leadership in the LNG sector, in large part thanks to the BG deal is one of the things that attracted me to the stock. As I stated many times before, I believe that natural gas will eventually become the number one energy source on the planet and as such it will have to become more flexible in terms of delivery. LNG shipments will most likely become a globally strategic industry, which is likely to grow a lot in coming years and decades. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Takes a Big Step Forward in Its Post-BG Merger Plan This Quarter

 

Tyler Crowe: (TMFDirtyBird) May 5, 2017 at 10:33AM

The investment thesis for Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS-A) (NYSE:RDS-B)radically changed back in 2015, when the company acquired BG Group. The idea of combining these two companies held a lot of promise, but investors would only benefit if management could successfully integrate the company, divest itself of some lower-return businesses, and lower the debt load it took on to get the deal done.

It wasn’t an easy task, but Shell’s most recent couple of earnings reports suggest that management has pulled it off. Here’s a look at its latest earnings release and what management has done recently to get the company one step closer to realizing the potential of that investment thesis laid out a couple of years ago. read more

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Divestment, retooling strategy has paid off, Shell says

Divestment, retooling strategy has paid off, Shell says

By Daniel J. Graeber: May 4, 2017

May 4 (UPI) — A divestment and retooling strategy has paid off considerably with first quarter profits more than doubling on improved oil prices, Royal Dutch Shell said.

Shell joins industry peers like British supermajor BP in declaring a first quarter success. Crude oil prices and market conditions have improved since first quarter 2016, and Shell CEO Ben van Buerden said the debt load was cut in part by a free cash flow of $5.2 billion.

Shell in March announced plans to sell off its entire onshore interests in Gabon to Assala Energy Holdings, part of The Carlyle Group, for $587 million. In the fourth quarter alone, the company unloaded more than $1 billion in assets, in large part from North America. In January, it sold off its interests in a package of assets in the British waters of the North Sea for $3.8 billion. read more

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Shell’s Big Oil Squeeze

May 4, 2017

Royal Dutch Shell Plc is defying skeptics and showing that it can afford its dividend. Investors just need to believe it hasn’t made too many compromises to do so.

The Anglo-Dutch oil giant generated $9.5 billion of operating cash flow in the first quarter, ample to fund $4.3 billion of investment, $2.7 billion of cash dividend payments and an $850 million interest bill. It even managed to cut debt without the benefit of big asset sales.

This is the third consecutive quarter where Shell has shown it can live within its means. The accounting result was impressive too: $3.5 billion of net income, up from $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter. That’s well ahead of expectations, and without the distortion of lots of one-offs. read more

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Shell Pumps a Torrent of Cash as Takeover, Cost Cuts Pay Off

by Rakteem Katakey
4 May 2017, 07:14 BST
4 May 2017, 08:01 BST

Royal Dutch Shell Plc showed it has adapted to a world of lower oil prices, generating a surge in cash flow that allowed it to pay dividends while reducing debt.

The Anglo-Dutch company’s performance helps validate Chief Executive Officer Ben Van Beurden’s $54 billion purchase of BG Group Plc — for which some shareholders complained he overpaid — and the deep spending cuts and asset sales he undertook to protect the balance sheet. read more

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Shell’s first-quarter profit more than doubles

By Ron Bousso | LONDON

Royal Dutch Shell reported a sharp rise in net profit on Thursday, beating analyst forecasts and joining its peers as stronger oil prices and improved refining margins boosted revenue after nearly three years of downturn.

A billion dollars in cost savings and budget cuts made over the past three years, as well as around $20 billion of asset sales following the $54 billion acquisition of BG Group last February, also helped increase cash flow and boost profits.

After completing the integration of BG Group in the third quarter of last year, the company and investors are turning their focus to increasing revenue and reducing debt as oil prices appear to recover. 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’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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Shell’s Steve Phimister appointed to Oil & Gas UK Board

by – 26/04/2017 3:42 pm

Steve Phimister, who also oversaw the £3billion sale of assets to Chrysaor earlier this year, takes up the position as he enters his new role as vice president of Shell’s UK & Ireland upstream business unit.

Phimister will be taking the place of his Shell upstream predecessor Paul Goodfellow on Oil & Gas UK’s board of directors with immediate effect.

“The Maximising Economic Recovery Strategy and the steps we have taken as an industry to improve efficiency are bearing fruit

“I look forward to shaping the next steps with industry partners as we seek to become a globally competitive basin.” read more

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Shell claims low-carbon edge

On Monday, reports surfaced that some of Shell’s money circulating in Nigeria was used for payoffs.

April 12 (UPI) — One of the largest oil companies in the world, Royal Dutch Shell said Wednesday it was focused on a low-carbon strategy that was geared toward long-term growth.

Shell highlighted its movement through a changing energy landscape in a sustainability report on activities last year. Chief Executive Officer Ben van Buerden said in the report that lower crude oil prices and a global community coordinated around the U.N.-backed Paris climate agreement meant changes were necessary for the oil and gas business. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell’s CEO Ben van Beurden hails “significant steps” taken to tackle climate change

Written by

The hailed the progress made in recent years, such as the Paris Agreement, as marking a worldwide change in attitude in moving towards a low carbon economy.

In the opening remarks of the supermajor’s sustainability report for 2016, he describes how Shell is working to help meet the world’s growing demand for more and cleaner energy.

In his introduction, van Beurden said: “In 2016, the world took significant steps towards building a low-carbon energy future. The United Nations (UN) Paris Agreement and the UN’s sustainable development goals came into force, setting new targets for tackling climate change, promoting sustainable economic growth and providing access to modern energy. read more

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Shell Employs 92,000 Workers During 2016, Hires 800 Graduates

by  Rigzone Staff | Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Royal Dutch Shell employed an average of 92,000 workers in more than 70 countries during 2016, the company revealed in its 2016 sustainability report released Wednesday.

The company also stated that it recruited “around 800 graduates, 800 experienced professionals and 2,800 people” in its Shell Business Operations last year.

Close to 40 percent of graduate recruits came from universities outside of Europe and the Americas and around 40 percent of the firm’s total workforce is located in countries outside of Europe and North America, Shell highlighted in its latest report. read more

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Shell Plans to Tap Gas Hunger in Emerging Energy Demand Center

by Saket Sundria and Debjit Chakraborty: 5 April 2017, 11:46 BST

Royal Dutch Shell Plc plans to boost its gas marketing business in India and may expand its import capacity for the fuel as it seeks to tap the country’s demand-growth potential.

The Anglo-Dutch company is aiming to sell imported natural gas directly to users such as power utilities, fertilizer makers, petrochemical plants and city gas distributors, said Shaleen Sharma, head of upstream development in India. Shell has also set up a team in Singapore to look for opportunities to ship more liquefied natural gas to India, he said. read more

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Petronas May Consider Shell Site for Canadian LNG Project

by Elffie Chew and Natalie Obiko Pearson: 3 April 2017

Malaysia’s Petroliam Nasional Bhd may be looking at building a $27 billion liquefied natural gas export terminal in northwestern Canada on the site of an abandoned Royal Dutch Shell Plc energy project, according to the company’s chief executive officer.

While Petronas, as the state-owned company is known, has yet to make a financial decision to move forward with its Pacific Northwest LNG project in British Columbia, Shell’s Ridley Island site “could be one of the options” for a location for the complex, CEO Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin said in an interview in Kuala Lumpur Friday. read more

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Shell reluctant to part with California refinery amid asset sale

By Jessica Resnick-Ault and Ron Bousso | NEW YORK

Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) is in talks with several potential buyers for its refinery outside of San Francisco, but the Anglo-Dutch oil giant is reluctant to part with its last asset in California, three people familiar with the process say.

The company is in the midst of a massive asset sale, shedding properties from Thailand to the North Sea to pay down debt following its $54 billion purchase of smaller British rival BG Group last year.

Shell, Europe’s largest oil company, has sold around $15 billion of assets over the past year as part of a planned $30 billion in asset sales to trim debt incurred from the transaction. read more

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BP Rallies on Possibilities of a Takeover by ExxonMobil

Zacks: March 14, 2017

Shares of BP plc BP rallied after a London-based newspaper claimed that ExxonMobil Corporation XOM is looking to place a takeover bid for the British energy group.

A bid for BP cannot be ignored as these rumors about ExxonMobil’s interest have been doing the rounds for years. However, analysts believe that such a deal is unlikely as it does not seem to be a strategic fit.

The merger would create a company too big and complex to be managed. The weak oil price environment has resulted in just one big deal – Royal Dutch Shell plc’s RDS.A $54 billion purchase of BG Group Plc in 2016. Other key oil players in the industry have embarked on smaller acquisitions as they intend to preserve cash and maintain their balance sheets. Though oil prices have increased from the 12-year lows of last year, companies are still uncertain if the recovery is sustainable. read more

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Shell cancels Prince Rupert LNG project, to move forward on Kitimat project

Mar. 13, 2017 1:36 PM ET|By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B) says it is ending development of its proposed Prince Rupert liquefied natural gas project in British Columbia but is still considering the potential of its other Pacific coast LNG option.

Prince Rupert LNG was part of a portfolio of projects acquired in the takeover of BG Group last year, but Shell says the project no longer stacks up against existing options.

Shell said it continues to actively move forward on the proposed Kitimat LNG Canada project in B.C. with its partners, even though last year it indefinitely deferred a final investment decision on it because of market conditions. read more

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Shell CEO’s plan for a smaller carbon footprint

Patti Domm: 9 March 2017

Royal Dutch Shell‘s announcement of the sale of $7.25 billion in Canadian oil sands assets Thursday is an important step to turning itself into a company of the future — with a broader mix of energy assets and a smaller carbon footprint.

Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said the company is committed to reshaping itself and believes that renewables and new energy will play a bigger role. The company is retaining just 10 percent of its Canadian sands assets.

“We are right in the middle of transforming the company into the company of the future,” he said at the CERAWeek conference in Houston, sponsored by IHS Markit. read more

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Shell cuts debt with US$7.25 billion sale of Canada oil sands

9 March 2017

TORONTO (BLOOMBERG) – Royal Dutch Shell will sell almost all its production assets in Canada’s oil sands in a US$7.25 billion (S$10.24 billion) deal that cuts debt and reduces involvement in one of the most environmentally damaging forms of fossil-fuel extraction.

The company will sell all of its oil-sands interests apart from a 10 per cent stake in the Athabasca Oil Sands mining project, The Hague-based Shell said on Thursday (March 9). It will also continue as operator of the Scotford upgrader and Quest carbon capture and storage project. read more

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Shell’s North Sea changing of the guard

Written by Jeremy Cresswell – 06/03/2017 8:50 am

Last month, it emerged that there’s a handover of the helm underway at Shell’s UK Continental Shelf and Ireland business based out of Aberdeen.

After pretty much two years in command, Paul Goodfellow is taking on a new challenge as Shell’s vice president wells based at Rijkswijk in the Netherlands, effective 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 £36.4billion ($52.6billion) takeover completed early last year.

That Goodfellow should be on the move surprised some in the North Sea community, but this has been a hectic period. read more

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Shell defies doubters by predicting boom for liquefied natural gas

The Telegraph: Shell defies doubters by predicting boom for liquefied natural gas

Jillian Ambrose20 FEBRUARY 2017 

Royal Dutch Shell has brushed off concern that the burgeoning market for liquefied natural gas is already oversupplied, after paying £36.5bn to buy market leader BG Group.

Shell’s first outlook report for LNG since the tie-up has predicted a market boom as demand from countries including China and India which will outpace the string of new project start-ups.

The market for LNG imports has already grown considerably in recent years but market commentators have raised fears that an explosion of new projects might flood the market. A deluge of LNG could push down prices just as Shell works to pay down the heavy cost of the tie-up. read more

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Shell says new LNG buyers want shorter, smaller contracts

Shell says new LNG buyers want shorter, smaller contracts

By Reuters20 February 2017

LONDON, Feb 20 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell, the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) trader following its takeover of BG Group last year, said new LNG customers that will drive demand are looking for shorter and smaller contracts.

Shell expects much of new LNG demand to come from countries that want to replace declining domestic gas production — which has already happened in Egypt and Pakistan — and those countries that are looking at LNG to complement pipeline and domestically produced gas, like China or Morocco. 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

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.

Can BP plc and Royal Dutch Shell plc survive the coming oil price crash?

By The Motley Fool  Feb 15, 2017

Last year’s surprise OPEC and non-OPEC oil production cuts were supposed to herald a new area of higher energy prices, but it hasn’t really happened. Oil bulls who predicted oil could hit $60 or $70 a barrel will have been disappointed, with the price stalling around $55. If the price can’t rise now, when will it rise? Or could it even crash?

Oil slip

Any further slippage would spell bad news for FTSE 100 giants (LSE: BP) and Royal Dutch Shell(LSE: RDSB). They are banking on a higher oil price to keep the cash flowing, and ensure their dividends are sustainable in the longer run. 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.