The Guardian

Shell to go ahead with seismic tests in whale breeding grounds after court win

Judgment rules company can blast sound waves in search for oil along South Africa’s eastern coastline

Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent: Fri 3 Dec 2021 10.45 GMT

Royal Dutch Shell will move ahead with seismic tests to explore for oil in vital whale breeding grounds along South Africa’s eastern coastline after a court dismissed an 11th-hour legal challenge by environmental groups.

The judgment, by a South African high court, allows Shell to begin firing within days extremely loud sound waves through the relatively untouched marine environment of the Wild Coast, which is home to whales, dolphins and seals. read more

CNN

Shell scraps plans to develop Cambo North Sea oilfield

Story by Reuters: Updated 2232 GMT (0632 HKT) December 2, 2021

Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday it had scrapped plans to develop the Cambo oilfield in the British North Sea, which became a lightning rod for climate activists seeking to halt the development of new oil and gas resources.

Following “comprehensive screening” of the Cambo field, Shell “concluded the economic case for investment in this project is not strong enough at this time, as well as having the potential for delays,” the company said in a statement. read more

The Guardian

Shell pulls out of Cambo oilfield project

Green campaigners welcome oil giant’s decision not to go ahead with controversial project off Shetland

Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent: Thu 2 Dec 2021

Shell has pulled out of a controversial new oilfield off the Shetland Islands, plunging the future of oil exploration in the area into doubt.

Shell, which was planning to exploit the field along with the private equity-backed fossil fuel explorer Siccar Point, cited a weak economic case as its reason for deciding not to go ahead with the project. read more

fin24

Shell questions ‘urgency’ of bid to block seismic survey, says it may lose millions of dollars

Environmental and human rights organisations seeking to block oil and gas company Shell from proceeding with a seismic survey in December have failed to make a case on urgency, a high court has heard.

The Eastern Cape Division of the Makhanda High Court on Wednesday heard the case brought before it by four environmental and human rights organisations, which are seeking an interim-interdict of the seismic survey. read more

THE NEW DAILY

‘Disgusted’ Powershop customers abandon ship over Shell takeover

Zac Crellin Reporter@zacrellin: November 23, 2021

When oil giant Shell announced it was buying renewable electricity provider Powershop Australia on Monday, many of its 185,000 customers instantly switched providers.

Powershop Australia launched in 2012 and had gained a reputation for being 100 per cent carbon neutral – a credential many now see as tainted by the Shell acquisition.

“I was just disgusted and amazed that they thought they could get away with that, without people caring or noticing,” former customer Kristen O’Connell told The New Daily. read more

EXPRESS

Brexit Britain paves way for Frexit as French admit jealousy after Shell moves to UK

BREXIT BRITAIN may have just paved the way for Frexit and added momentum to calls for France to leave the European Union after the French admitted jealousy over oil giant Shell’s major shift to the UK.

The new single structure with all shares under British law means none of its shares would be under this tax and will also enable the oil giant to quickly strike sale and acquisition deals.

The Dutch government responded by saying it was “unpleasantly surprised” by Shell’s decision to move its head office from The Hague to London.

The move is seen as a huge vote of confidence in the City of London following the UK’s departure from the EU, which triggered a shift in billions of euros in daily share trading from the English capital to Amsterdam. read more

REUTERS

Shell shake-up leaves Dutch royally hacked off

REUTERS

Shell and Norsk Hydro team up for green hydrogen

November 9, 20217:29 AM GMT

OSLO, Nov 9 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) and Norsk Hydro (NHY.OL) are looking into jointly producing hydrogen from renewable electricity in a push to decarbonise their own operations as well as supply heavy industry and transport customers, Hydro said on Tuesday.

The Anglo-Dutch oil giant and the Norwegian aluminium maker’s green hydrogen unit, Hydro Havrand, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and begun initial work to identify opportunities to produce and supply renewable hydrogen. read more

NL TIMES

Designate Groningen earthquakes a national crisis, Ombudsman says

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021

The consequences of the fracking earthquakes in Groningen have all the features of a national crisis and should therefore be designated as such, National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen said. He wants this to keep attention on the situation in Groningen until homes are reinforced, damages are repaired, and residents feel safe, Trouw reports.

“I wanted to choose words that hit so hard that people think: damn it, now we really have to do something,” the National Ombudsman said in an interview with Trouw. “In one way or another, the attention for Groningen is disappearing. Things are taking too long, and the good things don’t really happen. This is a national crisis, which the government and administration have to deal with differently.” read more

Environment Energy LEADER

MP2 Rebrands as Shell Energy

OCTOBER 6, 2021 BY DAVID WORFORD

MP2 Energy is rebranding as Shell Energy to provide integrated energy products to businesses from one supplier.

As Shell Energy the company says it can then tailor energy needs to each business it serves and those companies will benefit from direct access to Shell’s overall energy portfolio. Other Shell affiliates such as Shell Energy North America and Shell Energy Solutions are also part of the rebrand.

Shell Energy has a range of power, natural gas and renewable energy offerings to help businesses make energy use transitions, it says. read more

Gas market turbulence will pass, says Shell executive

October 5, 20215:18 PM BST

LONDON, Oct 5 (Reuters) – The gas market has faced a “perfect storm” of cold weather, supply concerns and increased demand but it will stabilise eventually, an executive at Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) said on Tuesday.

“This turbulence will pass. It might take a while, but the market will stabilise at sensible levels,” De la Rey Venter, executive vice president at LNG West, which handles Shell’s natural gas assets in Canada, Europe Africa and Latin America, told a virtual conference. read more

CISION

Shell starts production at Shell New Energies Junction City, its first US renewable natural gas facility

Tue, September 28, 2021

JUNCTION CITY, Ore., Sept. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Shell Oil Products US, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, has successfully achieved startup and production of renewable natural gas (RNG) at its first US biomethane facility, Shell New Energies Junction City in Oregon. The facility utilizes locally sourced cow manure and excess agricultural residues to produce an expected 736,000 MMBtu a year of RNG. This milestone is part of a growing portfolio of developing RNG production and distribution assets supporting low-carbon intensity renewable compressed natural gas (R-CNG) as fuel for heavy-duty, on-road transport.

Biomethane has a significant role to play in the energy transition, and this achievement advances our strategy as we work to reduce emissions from the fuels and other energy products we sell,” said Carlos Maurer, Executive Vice President Sectors and Decarbonization at Shell. “We are excited to offer renewable compressed natural gas as a low-carbon fuel choice for our customers.”

Shell is developing additional RNG production facilities to be located directly within operating dairies. Shell Downstream Galloway at the High Plains Ponderosa Dairy in Plains, Kansas and Shell Downstream Bovarius at the Bettencourt Dairies in Wendell, Idaho are part of this expanding biofuels portfolio utilizing cow manure as feedstock. Together, these two dairy RNG facilities can produce approximately 900,000 MMBtu a year of negative carbon intensity RNG.

Production from Shell New Energies Junction City, Shell Downstream Galloway and Shell Downstream Bovarius is expected to help supply Shell R-CNG fueling sites planned at the company’s product distribution complexes in Carson, Van Nuys, Signal Hill, and San Jose, California, and at a terminal in Portland, Oregon, owned by Shell Midstream Partners L.P. R-CNG offers an attractive alternative for fleets to lower their carbon footprint compared to conventional diesel fuel. Providing 100 percent R-CNG for customers would allow these fueling sites to substantially decarbonize product movements out of the terminals. read more

Photo Credit: Photographic Services, Shell International Limited.

REUTERS

Shell to build Dutch biofuels plant in net-zero push

September 16, 202111:20 AM BST

Sept 16 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) plans to build a biofuels facility in the Netherlands to help achieve its target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, it said on Thursday.

The Washington Post:

Vermont sues 4 oil companies, alleges false info on climate

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Vermont on Tuesday became the latest state to sue some of the country’s top fossil fuel companies by alleging they misled the public about the impact their products have on climate change.

The suit names ExxonMobil Corporation, Shell Oil Company, Sunoco LP, CITGO Petroleum Corporation and other corporations.

“They have known for decades that the Earth’s climate has been changing because of emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, and that the fossil fuels they sell are the primary source of those emissions,” the lawsuit said. read more

CITY A.M.com

Shell and BP: why we’re hopeful for a sensible transition to renewables

Sue Noffke: Monday 6 September 2021 9:13 am

The devastating effects of unchecked global warming were laid bare by this week’s landmark report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

UN secretary-general António Guterres described the report’s findings as “a code red for humanity”.

The world’s major energy companies were already on the front line of the climate change battle, but following this week’s report public scrutiny of the industry can only intensify. read more

Aug 30 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell plc (RDSa.L) said on Monday its subsidiary Sarawak Shell Berhad (SSB) has taken a final investment decision on the Timi gas development project offshore Malaysia, which will powered by solar and wind sources.

The offshore wellhead project, developed with its partners Petronas Carigali and Brunei Energy Exploration, could see peak production of up to 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) and will move gas to the F23 production hub via an 80 kilometer-long pipeline, the company said in a release. read more

Extinction Rebellion activists glued to Science Museum site in Shell protest

Kevin Rawlinson and agency: Sun 29 Aug 2021 20.09 BST

Extinction Rebellion protesters have glued or locked themselves to the railings inside the Science Museum, in a protest against the oil firm Shell’s sponsorship of its exhibition about greenhouse gases.

They chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, sponsor Shell has got to go” as those outside sang “No more petrol, no more diesel, funding fossil fuels is evil”, waved flags and banners, played drums and blew whistles. read more

OILPRICE.COM

Merger Mania Is Over: Oil Deals To See Quietest Year In Decades

By Alex Kimani – Aug 23, 2021, 6:00 PM CDT

Extracts

Sir Winston Churchill once admonished leaders to never let a good crisis go to waste, and Big Oil has rarely failed to heed the advice. Under normal circumstances, energy downturns have created perfect opportunities for deep-pocketed oil and gas heavyweights to land prime assets on the cheap. A good case in point: the last oil bust of 2016 was followed by a sizable number of huge M&A deals in the sector including the $60B tie-up between Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A) and BG Group, Canadian Oil Sands and Suncor EnergyEnergy, as well as a handful that fell through including the proposed merger between Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) and Baker Hughes (NYSE:BKR). read more

REUTERS

U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil producers consolidation accelerates

By Gary McWilliams: AUGUST 16, 2021

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Oil and gas producers in U.S. Gulf of Mexico have consolidated at a faster rate during the pandemic, new government data shows, as crashing prices squeezed out smaller drillers who had been seen as the industry’s future.

The top 10 producers – led by Royal Dutch Shell, BP Plc and Chevron – this year pumped 86% of the region’s 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd), up about 11 percentage points since 2017, data from regulator Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) shows. read more

August 11, 2021

Shell has moved forward its target to install AdBlue dispensers for passenger cars at 500 of its 2,000 gas stations in Germany by two years, reports Argus Media.

Shell had installed AdBlue dispensers at 200 sites in Germany as of July. It now plans to have 300 more available to drivers by the end of 2022.

FULL ARTICLE

RELATED

Shell commissions 100 fast-charging stations in Germany

The Guardian

Oil giant Shell set to appeal against ruling on carbon emissions

Company hopes to get Dutch court ruling overturned which called for it to cut emissions faster

Jillian Ambrose: Tue 20 Jul 2021 16.42 BST

Royal Dutch Shell has confirmed that it will appeal against the landmark Dutch court ruling calling for the oil giant to cut its carbon emissions faster.

A court in The Hague reached the milestone verdict in May this year after Friends of the Earth and over 17,000 co-plaintiffs successfully argued that Shell had been aware of the dangerous consequences of CO2 emissions for decades, and that its climate targets did not go far enough. read more

Reuters

Shell signs five-year contract to supply PetroChina with carbon neutral LNG

Susanna Twidale: July 12, 202112:17 PM BST

LONDON, July 12 (Reuters) – Oil major Shell (RDSa.L) has signed a five-year contract with PetroChina (601857.SS) to supply the Chinese company with carbon-neutral liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargos, Shell said on Monday.

channel4.com

Revealed: Fossil fuel companies lobby UK government for gas ‘compromise’ ahead of COP26  

Some of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies have lobbied the UK government to support a gas “compromise” ahead of the COP26 UN conference, Channel 4 News can reveal.

Last year, representatives from ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, Equinor and BP met with the then UK trade minister for a private dinner in Texas where natural gas was championed as a “vital part of the solution” to tackling climate change, according to a freedom of information request obtained by Greenpeace UK’s investigations unit Unearthed and shared exclusively with this programme. read more

The Telegraph

Shell to boost dividend as profits rise

ByTelegraph Reporters 7 July 2021 • 12:12pm

Royal Dutch Shell plans to increase payouts to shareholders amid the recovery in the global economy.

The oil giant will raise dividends to within the range of 20pc to 30pc of cash flow from operations, starting from its second quarter results on July 29.

It said the move comes on the back of a “strong operational and financial delivery, combined with an improved macro-economic outlook”.

Oil prices have been rebounding as demand for crude has begun to recover, with many countries now emerging out of coronavirus lockdowns thanks to vaccination programmes. read more

Bloomberg

Shell to Boost Shareholder Returns as Business Gets Stronger

By Laura Hurst: 7 July 2021, 07:15 BST Updated on 7 July 2021, 08:08 BST

• Energy giant will distribute 20-30% of operational cash flow
• Company to further reduce its net debt, keep lid on capex

Royal Dutch Shell Plc will boost returns to investors later this month, while still paying down debt, as its core businesses get stronger due to a recovery in energy demand and rising prices.

The Anglo-Dutch giant will raise total distributions to shareholders to between 20% and 30% of cash flow from its operations, starting when it announces second-quarter results on July 29, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. It didn’t specify whether they would take the form of dividends or share buybacks. read more

OILPRICE.COM

Shell To Bow Out Of California Joint Venture With Exxon

By City A.M – Jul 06, 2021, 11:00 AM CDT

Shell (-2.37%) is reportedly planning to quit its California-based joint venture with fellow oil supermajor ExxonMobil (-3.56%) as it looks to accelerate its transition away from fossil fuels.

Four sources told Reuters that the FTSE blue chip had informed Exxon that it intended to exit subsidiary Aera Energy, in which it holds a 52 percent stake. The firm did not respond to a request for comment. read more

REUTERS

Chevron, partners go ahead with $4 bln project at Gorgon LNG

MELBOURNE, July 2 (Reuters) – Chevron Corp (CVX.N) and its partners in the Gorgon LNG project off Western Australia have agreed to go ahead with a $4 billion project to improve gas recovery from offshore wells and keep the huge liquefied natural gas plant filled for 40 years.

Chevron is the operator of Gorgon LNG and owns 47% of the project. Its partners are Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), Osaka Gas (9532.T), Tokyo Gas (9531.T) and JERA (9501.T), (9502.T). read more

FORBES

Renewable Energy Soars As Exxon, Shell Falter

As many know, Big Oil companies have suffered major losses as a result of the pandemic, as oil demand plummeted. Now, however, the prospects for the industry are looking more dismal than ever. As oil supermajors have faced increasing pressure to shift toward more sustainable business strategies, such pressure will certainly result in companies looking to renewables as the solution to this shift.

Recently, both Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell were hit with critical climate-related decisions. A Netherlands court ruled that Shell must drastically reduce its emissions this decade in what was “the first time a court ordered a private company to, in effect, change its business practice on climate grounds.” This was a seminal moment that will greatly benefit the clean technology space, leading it to become the norm, and no longer the alternative source for power in society. read more

REUTERS

Shell buys BP’s stake in North Sea field, scrapping previous deal

June 25, 2021: 5:25 PM BST

LONDON, June 25 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) said on Friday it had agreed to acquire BP’s (BP.L) 27.5% stake in the Shearwater North Sea gas field, raising its stake in the field to 55.5%.

OILPRICE.com

The Unintended Consequences Of Punishing Big Oil

By Tsvetana Paraskova – Jun 23, 2021, 12:00 PM CDT

The ‘day of reckoning’ for Big Oil, when events at boardrooms and courtrooms issued last month the starkest warning to oil majors’ license to operate yet, was hailed as a huge victory for climate activists. But the climate celebration may be a bit premature.

Rebel shareholder votes at Exxon and Chevron and a court ruling against Shell delivered a blow to Big Oil in a single day, and environmentalists are ecstatic. read more

The Guardian

Students protest at Science Museum over sponsorship by Shell

A group of activists who were threatened with arrest on Saturday evening after staging an “occupation” of the Science Museum in London have vowed to renew their fight on Sunday.

The London branch of the UK Student Climate Network (UKSCN) organised a demonstration at the museum in protest at its decision to accept sponsorship from fossil fuel giant Shell.

The museum in South Kensington has partnered with Shell to fund its Our Future Planet exhibition about carbon capture and storage and nature-based solutions to the climate crisis. read more

Reuters

Shell plans to bid in Norway’s 1st offshore wind tender

June 17, 20214:03 PM BST

OSLO, June 17 (Reuters) – Oil major Shell (RDSa.L) teamed up with Norwegian utilities BKK and Lyse to bid in the Nordic country’s first offshore wind tender expected next year, the companies said on Thursday.

Shell has been active in oil and gas extraction on the Norwegian continental shelf for several decades, and like many of its peers sees offshore wind as a cross-over technology in a bid to become carbon neutral in its operations. read more

CBS SF

Supreme Court Allows San Francisco, Oakland Lawsuits Against Big Oil Companies To Proceed

June 15, 2021 at 5:20 pm

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – Two more ambitious lawsuits would be hard to image: in 2017 the cities of Oakland and San Francisco filed separate public nuisance lawsuits against five of the world’s biggest energy companies, seeking to hold them responsible for the local effects of sea level rise.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to throw the suits out of court, although the cases still face many daunting obstacles ahead. read more

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Exxon’s defeat in a boardroom battle is a turning point for social activism.

An activist investor successfully waged a battle to install three directors on the board of Exxon Mobil last week with the goal of pushing the energy giant to reduce its carbon footprint. The investor, a hedge fund called Engine No. 1, was virtually unknown before the fight.

The tiny firm wouldn’t have had a chance were it not for an unusual twist: the support of some of Exxon’s biggest institutional investors. BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street voted against Exxon’s leadership and gave Engine No. 1 powerful support. These huge investment companies rarely side with activists on such issues. read more

Shell’s Australia boss says Big Oil faces a push for faster change

By Nick Toscano: June 9, 2021 — 5.09pm

The Australian boss of global energy giant Shell says society’s growing determination to speed up the shift to cleaner energy has driven a sharp escalation of climate pressure engulfing oil and gas producers this year.

In his first public comments since a Dutch court ordered Shell to set deeper and faster emissions cuts targeting a 45 per cent reduction by 2030, Shell Australia chairman Tony Nunan said he believed industry, governments and the public were becoming increasingly aligned on the need to achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of the century. read more

Seeking Alpha

Nord Stream 2’s completion a ‘fait accompli,’ Blinken tells House panel

Jun. 07, 2021 2:25 PM ETBASFY, ENGIY…By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

OilPrice.com

Forget Activism: Chronic Underperformance Is Big Oil’s Biggest Problem

By Alex Kimani – Jun 06, 2021, 7:00 PM CDT

Engine No. 1 has told the Financial Times that Exxon will need to cut fossil fuel production for the company to position itself for long-term success, “What we’re saying is, plan for a world where maybe the world doesn’t need your barrels,” Engine No.1 leader Charlie Penner has told FT.

Meanwhile, a Dutch court has ordered Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A) to cut its greenhouse gas emissions harder and faster than it had previously planned.

Whereas climate change issues are the presumptive reasons behind the latest wave of investor revolts at the oil and gas giants, lurking beneath the surface is a growing sense of apprehension about Big Oil’s strategy and failure to generate adequate returns for shareholders in recent decades. read more

CNN

Court orders Shell to slash CO2 emissions in landmark climate ruling

“This is a turning point in history,” said Roger Cox, lawyer for Friends of the Earth Netherlands.

By Hanna Ziady, CNN Business

Updated 2000 GMT (0400 HKT) May 26, 2021

London (CNN Business)A Dutch court has ruled that Royal Dutch Shell must dramatically reduce its carbon emissions in a landmark climate decision that could have far reaching consequences for oil companies.

The company must slash its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels, according to a judgment from a district court in The Hague on Wednesday. That includes emissions from its own operations and from the energy products it sells.

This is the first time that a court has ruled a company needs to reduce its emissions in line with global climate goals, according to Friends of the Earth Netherlands, an environmental campaigning group that brought the case against Shell (RDSA).

The verdict could pave the way for similar cases to be brought in other countries, forcing oil companies to reduce fossil fuel production. It comes just a week after the influential International Energy Agency told oil companies they need to stop drilling for oil and gas right now to prevent a climate catastrophe.

The Anglo-Dutch company announced plans in September to become a net zero emissions company by 2050, a target that includes emissions from its products. It is currently targeting a 20% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030, and 45% by 2035.

“This case is unique because it is the first time a judge has ordered a large polluting corporation to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement. This ruling may also have major consequences for other big polluters,” added Cox.

The impact of the decision will be amplified because the court relied on global human rights standards and international instruments on climate change in arriving at its decision, according to legal experts.

“I can imagine this will inspire a series of other cases against companies, especially those active in the oil extraction industries like Shell,” said Eric De Brabandere, a professor of international dispute settlement at Leiden University in the Netherlands. “It is a groundbreaking decision, it’s really a landmark.”

Mounting pressure

While Shell claims that its carbon intensity targets are aligned with the Paris Agreement — which aims to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius — Friends of the Earth Netherlands argues that the company’s ongoing investments into oil and gas extraction show that it doesn’t take climate change seriously.

The court found that Shell’s carbon emissions pose a “very serious threat” to Dutch residents, and that the company has an “individual responsibility” to reduce emissions. The court said the company would have “total freedom” to comply with its order and to shape corporate policy.

Shell indicated it would appeal the ruling, which is immediately enforceable, according to De Brabandere.

“We are investing billions of dollars in low-carbon energy, including electric vehicle charging, hydrogen, renewables and biofuels. We want to grow demand for these products and scale up our new energy businesses even more quickly. We will continue to focus on these efforts and fully expect to appeal today’s disappointing court decision,” a Shell spokesperson said in a statement.

Oil companies are facing mounting pressure from shareholders and activists to ditch fossil fuels and invest into cleaner energy sources. The ruling handed down on Wednesday “may sound revolutionary, but, in fact, it is in line with what long term investors are increasingly asking companies to do anyway,” said Cees van Dam, a professor of international business and human rights at the Rotterdam School of Management.

almost a third read more

EnergyVoice.com

Shell faces Dutch court ruling on global emissions

By Ed Reed: 24 May 2021

A court in The Hague will rule on May 26 on a climate case against Shell, led by Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie).

The environmentalist case demands that Shell cut CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030. Success for the NGO would see the corporation ordered to “reduce its emissions in line with global climate goals”.

The outcome, it said, should “impact climate policy and corporate accountability globally”. It does not seek compensation, rather a change to Shell’s business plan. read more

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Why the World Worries About Russia’s Nord Stream Pipeline

May 20, 2021 at 3:26 p.m. GMT+1

A natural gas pipeline being built under the Baltic Sea from Russia to the German coast is shaking up geopolitics. Nord Stream 2, as it’s called, fuels worries in the U.S. and other countries that the Kremlin’s leverage over Europe and its energy market may increase once the pipeline is operational. The U.S. administration has admitted that stopping the gas link, which the project operator says is 95% complete, would be a long shot yet remains committed to opposing it. read more

Shell Green Plans Under Scrutiny as Holders Seek More Action

Laura Hurst: Tue, May 18, 2021, 4:21 PM

(Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc has been under increasing pressure from investors to slash emissions and pivot toward cleaner energy, and the tension was on show at its shareholder meeting on Tuesday.

The company’s long-term energy transition plan, laid out to investors for the first time, received overwhelming support, but a competing resolution asking for stricter targets also garnered more votes than ever. Adding to the tension, shareholders were meeting as the International Energy Agency warned that all new oil and gas developments need to stop immediately for climate targets to be met. read more

Vote against Shell’s energy transition strategy, Pirc urges investors

Hannah Godfrey: Tuesday 11 May 2021

Shareholder advisory PIRC has recommended investors vote against Shell’s non-binding resolution on its energy transition strategy at its annual meeting next week.

The Pensions & Investment Research Consultants (PIRC), a major proxy advisory, said Royal Dutch Shell’s strategy to cut emissions “does not seem to have a clear plan for the competitive aspects of the energy transition.” read more

Just 100 km left to complete Nord Stream 2 pipeline, ambassador says

NAM director calls for rethink on Groningen earthquake damage

Just 50 not 26,000 homes in the Groningen earthquake area need strengthening to comply with the latest safety standards, according to Johan Atema, director of gas company NAM in the NRC.

So far 2,000 homes have been strengthened because they are vulnerable to the quakes, caused by the ground settling after natural gas has been extracted. And only half the 26,000 homes identified as being problematic have actually been inspected. read more

Cheniere and Shell deliver carbon-neutral U.S. LNG to Europe

Sabrina Valle: May 4, 2021 10:43 PM BST

U.S. liquefied natural gas company Cheniere Energy Inc (LNG.A)said Tuesday it supplied a carbon neutral cargo to Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) as part of a long-term agreement, joining a list of sellers neutralizing emissions as more buyers commit to environmental targets.

“I think offering climate solutions to our customers is going to be a bigger and bigger portion of our business,” Cheniere Chief Executive Jack Fusco said during the company’s first quarter earnings call. read more

Senior executive directors of Royal Dutch Shell Plc had advance sight some days ago of a draft of the article below. It is a follow-up article by a whistleblower whose identity is known to us.

Under Shell’s egregious stewardship, Iraq is literally burning billions of dollars in lost revenue, and the country’s power plants are being deprived of the much-needed fuel supply to end Iraq’s chronic power crisis.  The power outages have been the main destabilizing force in the country, which have also often led to mass protesting, civil unrest, and countless civilian casualties.    

By: The Iraqi Governance Revolt & Systemic Overhaul!

Introduction

Iraq holds the 12th largest natural gas reserve in the world, however, the country equally represents 12% of global gas flaring, “suggesting there may be systematic and structural barriers to reducing gas flaring practices,” according to the latest Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report produced by The World Bank Group.

Although officially signed in 2011, Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) formalized the establishment of its gas monopoly in Iraq, the $17 billion Basrah Gas Company (BGC), in May 2013, which also gave birth to the so called ‘world’s largest flare reduction program’. read more

New York City sues Exxon, BP, Shell in state court over climate change

By Reuters Staff: April 22, 2021

(Reuters) – New York City is suing three major oil companies and the top industry trade group in state court after a federal appeals court this month rejected its effort to hold the companies liable to help pay the costs of harm caused by global warming.

The lawsuit filed on Thursday said Exxon Mobil Corp, BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell and industry group the American Petroleum Institute “have systematically and intentionally misled consumers” about “the central role their products play in causing the climate crisis.” read more

Will Big Oil’s Huge Carbon Capture Bet Pay Off?

By Tsvetana Paraskova – Apr 21, 2021, 1:00 PM CDT

“We’re sending carbon back where it came from,” Norway’s energy giant Equinor says, describing its efforts to make carbon capture and storage (CCS) commercially viable in a future decarbonized energy system. Equinor is a joint venture partner with two other oil majors, Shell and Total, in developing the Northern Lights project in Norway, which is planned to deliver carbon storage as a service to help third-party industries to reduce emissions. read more

Officials give notice to Shell refinery on emissions release

April 21, 2021Updated: April 21, 2021 7:02 a.m.

ANACORTES, Wash. (AP) — The Northwest Clean Air Agency issued Tuesday a violation notice against the Shell Puget Sound Refinery for the release of emissions in August and September.

The refinery, on March Point near Anacortes, may face a financial penalty because of the incidents, which impacted the surrounding community including the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, the Skagit Valley Herald reported.

The notice said two flaring events exceeded allowable, visible emissions for more than 5 minutes. The first occurred on Aug. 19, and the second on Sept. 29. The air agency received 12 complaints and verified the presence of odors following the Sept. 29 incident, according to a news release. read more

Energy Giants Ditch Oil and Coal Projects. Smaller Rivals Want Them.

BP, Rio Tinto and others sell assets for financial and environmental reasons, in possible boon for those who still embrace fossil fuels

By David Hodari: April 21, 2021 5:30 am ET

For all the talk of a transition away from fossil fuels, players in the energy sector are still willing to bet there is more money to be made in oil and coal.

Major oil companies such as BP PLC and Royal Dutch Shell PLC are selling billions of dollars of assets to bolster their finances and reduce carbon emissions, while mining companies including Anglo American PLC and Rio Tinto PLC have exited coal projects. read more