Royal Dutch Shell Plc Chief Executive’s review

Shell performed well in 2006. Our financial position is strong and we posted record income of $26.3 billion, returning $16.3 billion to shareholders. We built on our achievements of 2005 by focusing on delivery and growth, laying solid foundations for our future.

Our strategy of more upstream, profitable downstream is on track. We made good progress in rejuvenating our diverse portfolio. Our upstream exploration efforts are paying off. We invested large stakes in major integrated long-life projects that will generate cash for decades to come. Downstream, we added to our growth portfolio, especially in China.

The security situation in Nigeria – which has shut significant production in the Delta region – remains a serious concern and we do not know when production will resume. Our deep water projects in Nigeria really delivered in 2006, partially offsetting lost production onshore. In Sakhalin, we cleared the way forward by agreeing to partner with Gazprom on what is the world’s largest integrated oil and gas project under construction.

Our Exploration & Production business performed well. Earnings were up 7% from 2005 at $15.2 billion. We added approximately 2 billion barrels of oil equivalent to our proved oil and gas reserves and proven mining reserves. The bid for the minority shares in Shell Canada and expansion of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project reaffirm our commitment to maintaining a leading position in unconventional oil.

Our Gas & Power division delivered particularly strong earnings growth of 68% at $2.7 billion. We are proceeding with construction of the Pearl Gas to Liquids (GTL) plant in Qatar, the largest such plant in the world. Sales of liquefied natural gas (LNG) grew 14%, strengthening our leading position in the LNG markets of North America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

Downstream we are investing in major manufacturing projects, particularly in Asia. The expansion of our petrochemicals complex in Singapore and a successful start-up of the Nanhai complex in China strengthen our position in Asia’s dynamic markets. We acquired a 75% interest in China’s leading lubricants manufacturer and marketer, making Shell the leading lubricants company in China. Plans to expand our Port Arthur facilities would create the largest refinery in the USA.

As we operate in ever more demanding environments, safety becomes a bigger challenge. We continue to place great emphasis on training to support safety’s role as a key component of operational excellence. Our safety performance in 2006 was mixed, however, with an increase in fatalities. We have responded by reinforcing our safety focus through a dedicated global safety function that will improve compliance with standards and procedures worldwide.

We remain committed to developing one substantial business in alternative energy. We launched our first offshore wind farm in the North Sea off the Netherlands. We continue to make progress on projects in hydrogen, advanced solar technology and second-generation biofuels.

I am convinced that technology is key to delivering our business strategy and the complex projects of the future. In 2006 we appointed a Chief Technology Officer to head our technology drive with seven Chief Scientists and thousands of technical staff at our worldwide technology centres, including our new one in Bangalore, India. We also published Shell’s first Technology Report.

Technology is central to managing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Within Shell we are pursuing a range of activities to address the challenge of CO2, including improving efficiency, reducing flaring and exploring opportunities for CO2 capture and storage.

None of this would be possible without the efforts of our people, who I would
like to thank. Our strong performance in 2006 prepares us well for the increasingly
fierce competition in the energy industry and confirms our ability to deliver results to both shareholders and our partners. In 2007 we will strive to maintain our
momentum by continuing to focus on delivery and growth.

Jeroen van der Veer
Chief Executive

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