Shell must grapple with its own existential crisis: How should a company that generates most of its profits by serving the world’s enormous appetite for oil navigate a long-term future in which shifting political and economic tides threaten to make fossil fuels obsolete?

BY JUSTIN WORLAND

A peculiar theme park in the Hague celebrates the history of the Netherlands through a series of miniature models. The Madurodam features little canals, old-fashioned windmills, tiny tulips and, amid it all, an homage to Royal Dutch Shell, the oil giant that is the biggest company in the country and, by revenue, the second largest publicly traded oil-and-gas company in the world. There’s a Shell drilling platform, a Shell gas station and a Shell natural-gas field, complete with a drilling rig. The display is at once odd–energy infrastructure in a children’s theme park–and entirely fitting: Shell has been, for decades, one of the most powerful players both in Dutch politics and on the global economic stage. read more

LNG Canada, which is also under construction, is said to be the largest private sector investment in Canadian history, with a price tag of around $40 billion and is being developed by a Royal Dutch Shell-led consortium.

Yadullah Hussain: January 6, 2020

Canada’s multi-billion LNG Canada project is facing fresh trouble, as work on a key artery linking the export facility near Kitimat, B.C. to natural gas resources in Dawson Creek area is being halted by First Nations groups.

Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, representing all five clans of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, said over the weekend that they issued an eviction notice to the Coastal GasLink pipeline company, which is building the $6.6 billion project.

LNG Canada, which is also under construction, is said to be the largest private sector investment in Canadian history, with a price tag of around $40 billion and is being developed by a Royal Dutch Shell-led consortium. The project will export Canadian natural gas to Asian markets. read more

Shell pledges to stay in Canada, top exec says

Nov. 14, 2019 12:29 PM ET|About: Royal Dutch Shell plc (RDS.A)| By Carl Surran, SA News Editor

Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A -0.4%) is staying in Canada even as others pull up stakes, Shell Canada head Michael Crothers tells Bloomberg.

Shell’s future in the country is largely as a natural gas producer and exporter focused on the US$30B LNG Canada project, though the company also is committed to its local chemicals and retail businesses, Crothers says.

Aside from LNG Canada – which is 40%-owned by Shell – and the Groundbirch gas production complex in British Columbia that will partly supply it, the company has some light oil production, the Scotford refinery, two chemicals plants and a carbon capture facility in Alberta, plus the Sarnia refinery and a lubricants plant in Ontario.

Shell also still owns a 10% stake in the Athabasca oil sands after selling most of its holdings in 2017; Crothers says the company has no plans to sell the rest because it is a core asset which provides feedstock for the Scotford complex. read more

Emily Gosden, Energy Editor

September 6 2019, 12:01am, The Times

About $50 billion of projects approved by oil companies including Royal Dutch Shell and BP within the past year will fail to deliver economic returns if the world meets the Paris climate goals, according to new analysis.

Shell’s huge Canadian liquefied natural gas project, approved last October, and BP’s latest Azerbaijan oil development, approved in April, are among projects that risk becoming “stranded assets”, according to Carbon Tracker, a not-for-profit think tank, which aims to “align capital markets with climate reality”. read more

“Management has been mostly concerned with cutting costs and phasing out plant equipment as it is no longer required.  …culture has been of the “don’t touch F_ck all” variety…” “I chose to work somewhere else because I felt that there was too much corruption and neglect to overcome…”

POSTING ON OUR SHELL BLOG MONDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2019

By “Shell Canada Insider”

SHELL CANADA: …they are wanting to sell their Alberta operations….. because there is no money left in it…they have syphoned it all off…

https://business.financialpost.com/commodities/energy/shell-seeks-sale-of-canadian-refinery-to-focus-on-lng-project

…in Caroline Alberta they had a massive sour gas leak on March 23 2003. It was in the local paper….Caroline Alberta or Sundre Alberta. (Sundre roundup)

I think also on 2010-2011 they had multiple explosions at their Caroline facility supposedly an employee during an explosion at the south compressor station had to be airlifted to hospital and was seriously injured. read more

Jan. 9, 2019 11:58 AM ET| By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

The Dutch High Court says it will consider demands on Jan. 17 seeking an immediate end to gas production from the Groningen field, after the government said it would cut output gradually.

The High Court says it received 26 objections to the plan, expressing concerns about seismic risks caused by drilling and demanding an urgent halt in production.

Analysts say the court is unlikely to grant an immediate halt because the Netherlands still depends on Groningen gas for a significant part of its energy supply. read more

By Dominic Walsh

Ben van Beurden has marked five years as chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell by giving a “wide-ranging interview” on climate change, his leadership style and “Shell’s biggest financial transformation” — an interview given to, erm, Royal Dutch Shell’s website. But rest assured, the oil group’s in-house journalists weren’t letting their boss off lightly. The transcript published yesterday features such hard-hitting questions as: “Who do you turn to for advice and support?” (answer: his wife, Stacey); “What are you most proud of when you look back at 2018?”; and “Why is trust so important for Shell?” A real zinger, that one.

SOURCE

Shell buys out Total’s 26% stake in Hazira LNG and Port

By Rachita Prasad: ET Bureau: Updated: Jan 09, 2019, 03.01 PM IST Royal Dutch Shell has completed the acquisition of Gujarat-based Hazira LNG and Port Ventures from French energy major Total Gaz Electricité Holdings, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Shell Gas, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, acquired 26% equity interest in the Hazira LNG and Port from Total, to complete the acquisition. We did not disclose the financial consideration for the deal.

“The move allows Shell to build an integrated gas value chain: supply from its global LNG portfolio, regasification at the Hazira facility, and downstream customer sales. It further enables Shell to contribute towards India’s long-term need for more and cleaner energy solutions,” Shell said in the statement. read more

Ben van Beurden Photographer: Aaron M. Sprecher/Bloomberg

The boss of oil giant Shell has admitted he is “still unhappy” with the firm’s safety performance, despite pledging a redoubling of efforts in 2018.

Written by David McPhee – 07/01/2019 1:03 pm

Chief executive, Ben van Beurden, raised a call to redouble the firm’s focus on safety last year after a number of serious incidents in 2017.

An overturned tanker spill and explosion in Pakistan caused the tragic death of 200 people, while there were also fatalities in Canada and Nigeria.

Mr van Beurden added he is also focusing on restoring trust in the oil firm.

He said: “I’m still unhappy with our safety performance.

“In 2018, sadly two people died on our watch – one at a refinery in Germany and another at an onshore well in the USA.

“More broadly, the safety performance at our facilities has improved, but our performance on personal safety is worse than the previous year.

“We have to step up our efforts to keep people safe.”

Mr van Beurden also said that he can see that trust has noticed an “eroding” or trust in the UK, the Netherlands and the USA.

Shell came under heavy criticism from climate groups in 2018, with high profile opposition coming from investor group Follow This.

The firm also faced widespread shareholder opposition over chief executive pay last year.

Mr van Beurden said: “I feel an attack on Shell as an attack on my personal integrity. It’s something I feel deeply, probably at least once a day. If I can reduce that to once every other day, I’ll know that we are making progress.

“Of our three strategic ambitions – to become a world-class investment case, to thrive through the transition to lower-carbon energy and to have a strong societal licence to operate – I’m confident that we can achieve the first two.

“But I can’t see a sure path towards strengthening our societal licence to operate just yet.

“We need to change people’s perceptions through better performance and behaviours. And we need to have a better dialogue with civil society in some parts of the world.”

SOURCE

Marissa Luck, Houston Chronicle: Monday, Jan 7, 2019

The Gulf Coast has become home of one the largest producers of a common plastic: Shell fired up its fourth alpha olefins unit at its chemical plant in Geismar, Louisiana, the company said Monday.

The multi-billion dollar expansion adds 425,000 metric tons per a year in capacity to the chemical manufacturing site, bringing its total alpha olefin production up at Geismar to more than 1.3 million metric tons per a year. That makes it the largest alpha olefins producing site in the world, the company said. read more

Royal Dutch Shell will set carbon emissions targets next year and link these to executive pay, reversing its chief executive’s opposition and following intense pressure from shareholders who want fossil fuel companies to take greater responsibility for their contribution to global warming. FULL FT ARTICLE

The deal resulted in Shell taking a sizeable financial hit as a consequence…

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FULL ARTICLE

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Shell comments on deepwater vs. shale: Seeking Alpha: 18 Oct 2018

Shell bets on shale for flexibility in energy transition: Financial Times:17 Oct 2018

Shell’s $31 Billion Gamble On Canadian LNG: Seeking Alpha: 17 Oct 2018

Shell Exits Denmark’s Offshore Oil and Gas Sector: The Maritime Executive: 17 Oct 2018 read more

Shell’s greener future is a matter of survival: The Telegraph 13 Oct 2018

Shell launching new retail fuel pilot programs in U.S.: Houston Chronicle 12 Oct 2018

Shell Makes a Comeback in the North Sea With New Gas Field Investment: OilVoice 12 Oct 2018

Exclusive: Shell seeks to sell Venezuela JV stake to France’s Maurel & Prom – sources: Reuters 12 Oct 2018

Latest Royal Dutch Shell news round-up. Includes a report that Shell CEO Ben van Beurden is meeting this week with Putin, God Father of the Russian mafia. The head of a corrupt regime that kills opponents even if they are living in the UK. A regime that sends  assassins using outlawed radioactive and chemical weapons on UK soil and then protects the assassins after they return to Mother Russia. Proof positive that as in the past, Shell is prepared to deal with evil dictators. So much for Shell’s claimed ethical code.

Putin to meet Shell CEO in Moscow – Kremlin aide

Putin can briefly meet Shell CEO during Russian Energy week

Gazprom, Shell signed agreement on development of technical concept for Baltic LNG

Free Gas! Alberta Market Looks Forward to Shell Export Project

Shell-Led LNG Project Bucks Trend by Not Waiting for Buyers

Shell Approves Long-Awaited Canadian LNG Project

Shell, Partners Announce $31 Billion LNG Canada Investment

Shell, Eni venture to pay $1.1B to settle Kazakhstan dispute

Greenwashing is an elusive CSR attempt read more

Round up of Royal Dutch Shell news stories from leading energy news media sources, 26 Sept 2018

Exclusive: Shell in talks to buy stake in Russian oil project – sources

Shell Poised for LNG Canada Decision With Signs Pointing to Yes

Shell selects E.ON to operate Texas wind farm

Scoop: Shell sits out Washington carbon fight

Shell CEO: $80 Oil To Boost Energy Infrastructure Investment read more

The Canadian Press: Hina Alam: September 13, 2018: 4:23 PM EDT: Last Updated September 13, 2018. 7:32 PM EDTVANCOUVER — Shell Canada Ltd. has given up its offshore exploration rights, clearing the way for the creation of Canada’s first protected marine area under the Canada Wildlife Act. The company voluntarily released permits for about 50,000 square kilometres in an area off British Columbia’s coast to allow for the creation of the Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area. FULL ARTICLE read more

BRENT JANG: VANCOUVER SUNDAY 15 JULY 2018

LNG Canada will hire primarily Canadian workers to build a planned terminal to export liquefied natural gas from Kitimat, B.C., newly released briefing notes for B.C.’s NDP minority government show. The employment strategy is in sharp contrast to the abandoned plans by now-defunct rival Pacific NorthWest LNG, which would have use far more foreign workers for a site near Prince Rupert, according to the notes ministry officials prepared for Premier John Horgan and Energy Minister Michelle Mungall. Royal Dutch Shell PLC and four co-owners of LNG Canada are expected to decide by the end of 2018 whether to forge ahead with the massive project in Kitimat. FULL ARTICLE read more