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Oil Giants Get 20-Year License Extension from Nigeria

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. read more

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JPMorgan ordered to disclose US documents in Nigeria oil case

JPMorgan ordered to disclose US documents in Nigeria oil case

Ruling comes ahead of trial in which bank is accused of enabling $875m in misappropriated payments

Nigeria has succeeded in an effort to force JPMorgan Chase to disclose more documents ahead of a trial in which the US bank stands accused of enabling the misappropriation of almost $900m in state funds. The UK High Court on Tuesday granted the African nation’s application to secure records from top US executives and compliance officers involved in signing off $875m in payments between 2011 and 2013 relating to the controversial OPL 245 oil licence deal. read more

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Nigeria Bribery Case Ends In Victory For Shell, Eni

Nigeria Bribery Case Ends In Victory For Shell, Eni

An Italian court has ruled that oil giants Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Eni SPA are not guilty in a bribery case involving a Nigerian oilfield that has spanned years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Shell, Eni, and Eni’s CEO Claudio Descalzi, have been on trial for years in the infamous OPL 245 case. Shell, Eni, Descalzi, and others, were accused of knowing that more than $1.1 billion of the $1.3 billion deposited a decade ago into an escrow account controlled by the Nigerian government would eventually be used as bribes to secure oil drilling rights. read more

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Timeline: Nigeria’s OPL 245 oilfield licence bribery cases

Timeline: Nigeria’s OPL 245 oilfield licence bribery cases

LONDON (Reuters) – An Italian court acquitted Royal Dutch Shell and Italy’s Eni on Wednesday of corruption in one of the oil industry’s biggest court cases centred around the acquisition of a Nigerian oilfield in 2011.

Italian prosecutors alleged that most of the $1.3 billion purchase price for the licence for the offshore oilfield known as OPL 245 was siphoned off to politicians and middlemen. read more

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Selection of recent news coverage of Shell/Eni OPL 245 corruption scandal

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 and Eni to Be Tried Over $1.3 Billion Nigerian Oil Deal

LONDON — An Italian judge ruled on Wednesday that two of the world’s largest oil companies, Royal Dutch Shell and Eni, the Italian company, must go on trial on charges of corruption over a $1.3 billion oil deal in Nigeria.

The judge set a March 5 trial date in Milan for the companies as well as a group of current and former executives, including Claudio Descalzi, Eni’s chief executive, and Malcolm Brinded, a former chief of exploration and production for Shell. No current Shell officials were to be tried in the case. read more

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Eni/OPL 245 growing global bribery probe

Jaclyn Jaeger | Extracts from article published Sept 19, 2017

Italian oil giant Eni in a public filing this month revealed further details about what corruption allegations and investigations its facing around the world.

Corruption allegations against Eni now include Nigeria, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Congo. The number of enforcement authorities, employees, and subsidiaries involved in these allegations has also grown.

Block OPL 245 — Nigeria. Eni first mentioned allegations of international corruption in a Form 6-K (Report of Foreign Issuer) in 2014. In that report, the company said that it had been served with a notice of investigation in July 2014 by the Italian Public Prosecutor in Milan “relating to potential liability on the part of Eni arising from alleged international corruption.” read more

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Malabu $1.1 billion Scandal: You must prosecute Shell, Eni too, indicted Etete tells Nigerian govt

Samuel Ogundipe: December 29, 2016

Dan Etete, a former Minister of Petroleum caught at the heart of the $1.1 billion Malabu Oil scandal, has accused the Nigerian government of leaving out Shell and Agip in the criminal charges it filed last week.

Mr. Etete said the government erred in pursuing the case against him and others while conspicuously sparing Shell, Total and Agip/Eni even though the three firms “were parties to all the agreements” reached in the OPL 245 oil deal, THISDAY reported on Wednesday, citing a text message exchange it had with Mr. Etete. read more

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ENI AND SHELL TO BE PROSECUTED OVER OPL 245 $1.1 BILLION CORRUPTION SCANDAL

A translation of a 12-page final report by Italian prosecutors reveals that following an extensive investigation, they intend to prosecute ENI and their apparent accomplice Shell for their roles in the OPL 245 $1.1 billion corruption scandal.

READ ARTICLE HERE

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Nigerian President Steps Up Fight Against Shell/ENI Corruption

Screen Shot 2016-01-28 at 15.54.30By Andrew Oota, Bayo Oladeji, Bode Gbadebo, By George Agba, By Jonathan Nda-Isaiah:Jan 28, 2016 

In his quest for more potent laws against money laundering and to rev up the fight against corruption, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday presented two bills before the Senate for amendment.

They are the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Bill 2016 and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill 2016.

The president, in a letter to the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, which was read on the floor of the Senate, sought expeditious consideration of the two bills for more potent war against financial crimes in the country. read more

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Nigerian auditors find NNPC failed to remit $11.6 bil in LNG export revenue

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Nigerian auditors find NNPC failed to remit $11.6 bil in LNG export revenue

NNPC holds 49% equity in NLNG on behalf of the Nigerian government, with partners Shell (25.6%), Total (15%) and ENI (10.4%.)

11 June 2015

State-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has not remitted $11.6 billion in dividends and loan and interest repayments earned from exports from the Bonny LNG plant from 1999-2012, the country’s oil industry auditors said late Tuesday.

NNPC could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

The Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, or NEITI, said in a statement that the earnings represent NNPC’s share of 49% equity ownership in Nigeria LNG Ltd., owner of the six-train, 22 million mt/year Bonny LNG plant. read more

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Nigeria: ENI Misled Shareholders Over Nigeria Corruption Scandal – – Global Witness

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Screen Shot 2015-03-20 at 08.17.47Blog by Barnaby Pace, 13 May 2015

The most senior managers at oil giant Eni appear to have misled shareholders over the company’s actions in a corrupt oil deal at its 2014 AGM. This is very important – as they gather for the 2015 meeting, shareholders in Italy’s biggest company should expect straight answers over a deal which poses real risks to their investments. The corruption at the heart of the deal deprived the Nigerian state of over U.S. $1.1 billion, has triggered investigations by authorities in three countries, and could ultimately lead to the Eni and its partner Shell losing access to the oil block. read more

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Shell, ENI prop up corrupt Nigerian regime

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Screen Shot 2015-02-17 at 12.18.37FROM A NIGERIAN NEWS MAGAZINE: MARCH 2015

Nigeria’s Naira firmed 1.13 percent against the dollar on the interbank market in thin trade on Monday, supported by dollar flows from two energy companies, traders said.

The naira closed at 199.7 to the dollar compared with 202 on the interbank market on Friday, dealers said.

The central bank had set its intervention rate at 196.8/197.8 to the dollar on Monday, but dealers said the regulator had not yet sold dollars to lenders by 1302 GMT.

The Nigerian unit of Royal Dutch Shell sold an undisclosed amount of dollars while Eni sold $15 million, lending support to the naira, traders said. read more

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Shell, Eni, and the $533 million paid out in Nigerian bribes

Screen Shot 2014-09-11 at 23.20.44In October 2014 the media reported that Italian prosecutors were alleging that half of the $1.1 billion paid for an oil producing lease (OPL) by Eni and Royal Dutch Shell had gone on bribes to Nigerian politicians, intermediaries and others.

Extracts from an article by Babajide Oladipo Ogundipe: 8 December 2014

In October 2014 the media reported that Italian prosecutors were alleging that half of the $1.1 billion paid for an oil producing lease (OPL) by Eni and Royal Dutch Shell had gone on bribes to Nigerian politicians, intermediaries and others. Reuters reported that Italian prosecutors had placed Eni’s former and current chief executive officers under investigation for alleged international corruption and had requested their UK counterparts to assist in freezing suspect assets. The prosecutors alleged that at least $533 million had been paid out to Nigerian officials and others as part of the scheme. The two individuals under investigation, along with Eni, denied any wrongdoing read more

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UK Court Lifts Secrecy Order On Corrupt Nigerian Oil Deal Law Suit

Screen Shot 2014-09-11 at 23.20.44A High Court in the United Kingdom has lifted a secrecy order imposed on a 2013 legal challenge by The Corner House of a decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) not to freeze some $215million alleged proceeds of crime from a corrupt Nigerian oil deal. Shell and ENI have denied paying any money to Malabu Oil and Gas. But they were aware and in agreement that the deal was for the benefit of Malabu.

By Edegbe Odemwingie: 7 November 2014

A High Court in the United Kingdom has lifted a secrecy order imposed on a 2013 legal challenge by The Corner House of a decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) not to freeze some $215million alleged proceeds of crime from a corrupt Nigerian oil deal.

The fund arose from the sale of one of Nigeria’s largest offshore oil concessions, known as OPL 245 to subsidiaries of oil multinationals, Royal Dutch Shell and ENI.

Police in the UK and magistrates in Italy are now formally investigating the deal. read more

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Eni payments ‘used to bribe Nigeria officials’

Screen Shot 2014-09-11 at 23.20.44The article notes the involvement of the metropolitan police, but surely this is beyond the remit of the police involved? Where are the Dutch police, Interpol and Europol in this affair? Where is the SEC, and the authority that enforces the FCPA? It is simply not enough to say that Shell is “not under investigation”.

FROM A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR

John

I don’t know if you saw yesterday’s article (below) in Upstream about the Nigerian OPL245 case, but it seems that a large number of the Malabu payments have been traced.

If the article is to be believed (and Upstream is usually quite good) it appears that Shell was unaware of the payments being made on behalf of their joint venture with ENI. If they really did not know that these payments were being made, Shell were not acting in the interests of their shareholders – it is hard to believe that Shell really agreed to pay their share of $600 million out of a total of $1.2 billion without investigating where the funds were going. read more

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Safe Sex and Corruption in Nigeria – OPL245

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Vanguard cartoon from allAfrica.com article: “Nigeria: U.S. Report Shows Corruption, Rights Abuses”

FROM A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR 

Safe Sex and Corruption in Nigeria – OPL245

In the Economist article from last year – Safe sex in Nigeria – the numbers simply do not add up. The explanation given is that “others” had benefited from the proceeds of the OPL 245 sale to Shell and Eni.

The obvious conclusion is that these would have been people directly connected to the Nigerian government and Etete.

One possible conclusion that is not discussed is that people within ENI and/or Shell may also have benefited during the distribution of the funds. It would not be the first time that “conflicts of interest” had arisen in Shell and ENI. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Implicated in Nigerian OPL245 Corruption Scandal

Screen Shot 2014-09-11 at 23.20.44Can’t help wondering whether Malcolm Brinded will be “helping the police with their enquiries” regarding OPL245 as he was in charge of E&P at Shell at the time. Assuming that Shell/ENI lose the block, I presume there will be a $550 million hole in the Shell accounts to explain…

By John Donovan

Claudio Descalzi, the CEO of oil company Eni and one of his director colleagues are under investigation, suspected of involvement in the corruption of Nigerian politicians. 

Extract from a Bloomberg news report “Eni says CEO probed over $1.1billion Nigeria deal….”

Eni teamed with Royal Dutch Shell Plc in 2011 to buy Oil Prospecting License 245 for $1.1billion. The deal was challenged last year by a Nigerian parliamentary committee, which recommended revoking the rights. The acquisition process was “highly flawed,” the committee said. Global Witness, a London-based corruption watchdog, has also criticized the deal and the involvement of Dan Etete, a former Nigerian oil minister. read more

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Project Delays Will Cost These Oil Majors Billions

Screen Shot 2014-04-06 at 21.01.34Extracts from a Motley Fool article by Rupert Hargreaves published 28 July 2014

In total, Kashagan is now expect to cost a total of $136 billion, more than 140% above initial estimates. Production has been consistently delayed; the most recent delay, which occurred at the end of last year, concerns the project’s pipelines. At present, the project is being overseen by Italy’s Eni, although ExxonMobil is shortly set to take over. Shell, Eni, and Total all have a 16.8% stake in the project, and Morgan Stanley’s analysts believe that as a result of the delays, these three companies will have their 2016 net income estimates reduced by $500 million each. That is a large figure, even for these oil giants. read more

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Europe’s ‘ghost town’ refineries spook oil company results

Screen Shot 2014-07-24 at 00.07.20Extracts from a Reuters article by Christopher Johnson published Wednesday 23 July 2014

LONDON, July 23 (Reuters) – Europe is coming under increasing pressure to close oil refineries as chronic over-capacity hits processing margins, dragging down group profits and hitting share prices.

Poland’s PKN Orlen and Czech processor Unipetrol both announced unexpected large losses on Wednesday after impairment charges at processing plants.

Larger oil peers Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Eni will report next week and refining is expected to weight heavily on the results.

Stephen George, principal consultant at KBC Advanced Technologies and a specialist in global refining economics, says many European refiners will have to close eventually, no matter how strong the political pressure to save jobs. read more

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Reflections on the notorious Kashagan ‘Cash All Gone” project 

By John Donovan

In view of the recent shattering news from the jinxed Kashagan project…

Production at Kazakhstan’s Kashagan Oil Field Halted Until 2016

…it is interesting to reflect back on the situation as it was in 2007, reported in this Reuters article by Tom Bergin.

It seems that not much has changed.

It also explains why Royal Dutch Shell ended up issuing a profits warning and launching a fire sale of assets, following a succession of disastrous projects mired by incompetence.  read more

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Report: Exxon May Take Over as Kashagan Operator

Screen Shot 2014-04-06 at 21.01.34Extract from a Reuters/Rigzone article by Dmitry Zhdannikov, published Friday 6 June 2014

LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) – U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil is in line to take over as operator of the giant Kashagan field in an attempt to fix the beleaguered $50 billion project offshore Kazakhstan, industry publication Nefte Compass reported on Friday. The Kashagan shareholders are Eni, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, France’s Total and Kazakh state oil company Kazmunaigas, each with 16.8 percent, and Japan’s Inpex and China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) as junior partners.

FULL ARTICLE

RELATED ARTICLE

Kashagan Appoints Exxon Executive To Run Troubled Oil Venture

ALMATY, June 6 (Reuters) – The troubled Kashagan oil development has named an executive from U.S. firm Exxon Mobil to run the venture while also streamlining its complicated structure in an attempt to fix the beleaguered $50 billion project offshore Kazakhstan. The group said on Friday Stephane de Mahieu, an Exxon secondee, had become managing director as of May 1, 2014. However, it denied a report in industry publication Nefte Compass that Exxon would take over as operator of Kashagan saying that instead all seven oil firms involved will be effectively operators through a rejigged venture. read more

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Kashagan ‘Cash All Gone’ Pipeline Debacle

Shell has been a key participant in the Kashagan project consortium which includes Eni and ExxonMobil. Given its notorious track record of over-promise and under delivery, having Shell involved is a bad omen for any elephant project.

By John Donovan

The latest news from the “Cash All Gone” project (as it is widely known) is that due to the need to replace fatally flawed leaking pipelines, the oilfield may not restart until 2016. 

The project is already years behind schedule and countless billions over budget.

I have received some related comment and questions from a retired Royal Dutch Shell EP expert that deserve to be put into the public domain.

Shell has been a key participant in the Kashagan project consortium which includes Eni and ExxonMobil. Given its notorious track record of over-promise and under delivery, having Shell involved is a bad omen for any elephant project.  read more

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Kashagan oilfield may not restart until 2016

Screen Shot 2014-04-06 at 21.01.34Extracts from a Reuters article by Mariya Gordeyeva published 21 May 2014 under the headline: Kashagan oilfield may not restart until 2016, Kazakh minister says

May 21 (Reuters) – Oil output at Kazakhstan’s giant Kashagan field may not resume until early 2016, Kazakh Oil and Gas Minister Uzakbai Karabalin said on Wednesday, urging foreign partners to start replacing leaky pipelines at the deposit. Production at Kashagan, the world’s biggest oil find in 35 years, started last September but halted in early October after the discovery of gas leaks in the $50 billion project’s pipeline network. The North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), which develops the offshore field in the Caspian Sea, said last month that it did not expect to produce oil this year due to the leaks. “It (production) may restart by the end of 2015 if all goes well,” Karabalin told Reuters on the sidelines of the Astana Economic Forum. “Otherwise, it may turn out to be early 2016. NCOC includes Eni, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, China’s CNPC, Japan’s Inpex and Kazakh state-run company KazMunaiGas. read more

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Kashagan project closed indefinitely

Screen Shot 2014-04-06 at 21.01.34Extract from oilprice.com article by James Burgess published 23 April 2014 under the headline: “Kashagan Field Plans Pipeline Replacement”

After weeks of review, the operators of Kazakhstan’s giant Kashagan oil field have concluded that pipelines carrying oil and gas will need to be replaced due to extensive damage. The consortium — which includes Eni, Total, Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil — has been repeatedly frustrated by delays and engineering obstacles. With the discovery of the severely corroded pipelines, the project, which was shut down in October 2013 after a brief start, is now closed indefinitely. read more

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Another blow to Royal Dutch Shell

Screen Shot 2014-04-06 at 21.01.34Extract from a Steve LeVine article published 6 April 2014 by qz.com under the headline: “Kazakhstan’s largest oilfield will be shut down for at least two years”

Kashagan will be shut for at least two years while specialty pipelines are made to resist the unforeseen impact of toxic gas, according to a source close to the project. In recent weeks, word has dribbled out that Kashagan—one of the largest supergiant oil finds of the last half-century—may lie dormant through the summer…  Already, $50 billion has been spent, and the delay means a delay in billions of dollars in cashflow expected by Kazakhstan itself and major oil companies including ExxonMobil, Shell, Eni, and France’s Total.  …source close to the project said that Shell began a few days ago to notify its employees and contractors of the news of the long delay to restart the field. It remains to be seen how oil and stock markets will react to the news… read more

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Taylor: Will SEC give oil companies the green light on secrecy?

In the event that Shell and Eni’s handling of the deal is found to be in breach of U.S. anti-bribery laws, investors, who were not given the opportunity to assess these payments, could also be on the hook for penalties that could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

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By Simon Taylor | December 7, 2013

Lack of new disclosure rules for foreign government access puts investors at risk

Conspicuously missing from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s annual update on regulatory activity released last week is a rule requiring companies to disclose what they pay foreign governments for access to natural resources. The agency needs to put an immediate end to these secret payments if it is to do its job of protecting investors.

When the SEC proposed disclosure rules in August 2012 as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial law, the American Petroleum Institute (which represents companies such as Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron) sued the SEC to keep their deals – and the public – in the dark. In July, a federal court supported the institute’s case and ordered the SEC to revise its original payment disclosure rule. The SEC needs to make the rewrite a top priority so that a new version of the rules is released in early 2014. read more

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Shell and ENI’s billion dollar payment for Nigerian oil project could fall foul of anti-corruption laws

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Screen Shot 2014-12-06 at 14.08.2712 November 2012

New information suggests that the US$1.1 billion paid by Shell and the Italian energy company ENI for a Nigerian oil block could fall foul of anti-corruption legislation and highlights the urgent need for strong disclosure laws across the EU. A directive being discussed by the EU Council and Parliament must require full “project-by-project” disclosure to ensure such payments are publicly reported.

The payments made by Shell and ENI in 2011 relate to a disputed Nigerian oil block, OPL-245.[i] Though Shell and ENI paid the Nigerian government, funds were then transferred shortly after to a company controlled by ex-Oil Minister, Dan Etete, who in 2007 was convicted in France of money laundering. According to the current Nigerian Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammed Adoke, Shell and ENI were fully aware and in agreement that the money would then be transferred to Etete’s company, Malabu Oil & Gas. Earlier this year he stated, “SNUD [a subsidiary of Shell] and ENI agreed to pay Malabu through the Federal Government acting as an obligor the sum of US$1,092,040,000…”[ii] Malabu first obtained the oil block in 1998, in controversial circumstances when Etete himself was the Nigerian Oil Minister under the country’s then-leader General Abacha. read more

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Sale Of Oil Block OPL 245 By Malabu To Shell & Agip

Letter Of Complaint Regarding Sale Of Oil Block OPL 245 By Malabu To Shell & Agip

December 11, 2011

By Ademola Williams

Dear Sirs: On the 7th of December 2011 various news papers internationally and local published a report that Royal Dutch Shell and Eni said on Wednesday they have bought the prospective Nigerian deep offshore oil block OPL 245: these reports were given to all the various news outlets by Shell and ENI (Agips parent company), Shell, Eni buy Nigeria’s controversial OPL 245

As a concerned Nigerian, I urge the House Committee on Upstream Petroleum, to investigate the approval of the above Oil license and sale to Shell & Agip by DPR and the Ministry of Petroleum; and consider the transfer of ownership to Shell and Agip as illegal; in addition to revert the said oil block to its previous status and only allow such oil block to be sold to parties who fit the requirement of the oil blocks initial license. Which says that no foreign company can directly or indirectly buy more than 40% of the oil block. read more

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Shell, Eni buy huge Nigeria offshore oil block-Shell

ABUJA | Wed Dec 7, 2011 3:57pm GMT

Dec 7 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell and Eni have bought the prospective Nigerian deep offshore oil block OPL 245, Shell said on Wednesday, ending a decade of legal disputes over the huge asset.

A spokesman for the Anglo-Dutch major said it would own 50 percent of the block with Eni owning the other half and operating output. He would not confirm how much was paid or the quantity of reserves but industry experts have said OPL 245 was worth over $1 billion and holds around 9 billion barrels of oil. read more

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Shell escapes 96 million euros fine after grassing on other members of “paraffin mafia”

Anglo-Dutch oil major Shell escaped a potential fine of 96 million euros because it blew the whistle first to the EU competition authorities.

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.

Details of the final Kashagan agreement

Kazakhstan and a consortium of Western oil companies developing the Kashagan oilfield signed the final agreement on the future of the project on Friday after more than a year of tense negotiations.

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.

As Fuel Prices Fall, Will Push For Alternatives Lose Steam?

Biofuel players range from the oil majors, such as BP and Royal Dutch Shell, to ethanol giants VeraSun Energy and Poet, to tiny firms like Solarzyme, which started in its founders' garage five years ago and is now testing an algae catalyst in a large commercial vat.

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.

‘Paraffin mafia’ comes unstuck after €676m fines

The Commission made dawn raids on the companies three years ago after Shell, one of its members, blew the whistle on the illegal activities. Shell escaped a possible fine because it provided the Commission investigators with the initial vital information.

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.

UPDATE: Gazprom Neft Offers Chevron, Eni, Shell Asset Swaps

Russia's OAO Gazprom Neft (SIBN.RS) Thursday offered oil majors Chevron Corp. (CVX), Eni SpA (E) and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA) the chance to swap some of their overseas assets for some of Gazprom Neft's Russian production assets.

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.

Nigeria May Delay Seventh LNG Train on Taxes, This Day Says

Nigeria may not approve a new liquefied natural gas processing line on Bonny Island because the project's partners owe ``a lot of money'' in the form of taxes and royalties...

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.

Iran vows to press on after Total pull-out

The western energy companies... are quick to stress they are not pulling out of Iran or ending negotiations over projects far in the future. Indeed, Total, Royal Dutch Shell, Eni and StatoilHydro among others already have a presence in Iran and intend to honour their contracts despite US pressure.

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Price acts as catalyst for switch

That leaves the companies sitting on huge piles of cash. Even with a generous buy-back policy and consistent dividend payment plan, ExxonMobil, the biggest of the bunch, holds more than $40bn

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.

Exxon attacks Kazakh oilfield delays

ExxonMobil, the world's biggest listed integrated energy group, yesterday blamed the government of Kazakhstan for delaying the development of the world's biggest new oilfield, significantly raising the level of acrimony surrounding the troubled project.

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.

Oil lubricates high-level links

In its attempt to take back control of its most precious resources, Russia dismantled Yukos, its most promising independent oil company; played hardball with Royal Dutch Shell in Sakhalin and appears to be making similar moves on TNK-BP.

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.

Fresh delay to Kashagan oilfield plan sparks anger

Production at Kashagan, one of the world's biggest oilfields, has been postponed by two years to 2013, Kazakhstan said at the weekend.

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.

Venezuela to snub Saudi Arabia over call for Opec summit

Among those expected to attend are the chief executives of the world's eight largest international oil companies by market capitalisation - ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Chevron, Total, ConocoPhillips, Eni and Repsol.

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 strikes it rich as oil majors scent big potential of coal-seam gas

Yesterday, Arrow Energy the fourth-largest producer was in a trading halt as energy majors, rumoured to include Shell, circled. Analysts say that BP, ENI and Total are interested.

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 to Take 33% Stake in Turkish Oil Pipeline, MEES Reports

Shell would use the link to transport crude from the Kashagan field in Kazakhstan, the Cyprus-based weekly newsletter said, without saying where it got the information. Shell and Eni are major shareholders in the Kashagan development, due to come on stream in 2012 or 2013, according to MEE

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.

Petronas backs Santos LNG project

Groups that had expressed an interest in the Gladstone project included Royal Dutch Shell, ConocoPhillips of the US, Eni of Italy, Repsol of Spain, andSempra, owner of the largest US natural gas utility.

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.

ENI makes subsea discovery in deep waters offshore USA

Eni owns a 15% working interest in Stones. Shell (operator 35%), Marathon (25%), and Petrobras (25%) are the other partners.

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Shell soon to join Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline: sources

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell Plc is near signing a deal with Turkish Calik Energy and Italian Eni to join work on a oil pipeline between the Black and Mediterranean seas, sources close to the deal said on Monday.

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.

Further delays likely at Kazakh oil field

The project's consortium, which includes Royal Dutch Shell, Eni, Total and ExxonMobil, wants to push back the start of the 13bn-barrel field for at least another year, Kazakh ministry officials said yesterday.

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.