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Despite windfall tax and record profits, Shell paid just £15 million to UK, 22p per Brit last year

Global Witness

Despite windfall tax and record profits, Shell paid just £15 million to UK, 22p per Brit last year

By comparison Norway received £6.3 billion from Shell, over a grand per Norwegian

28th March 2023, London – Energy giant Shell paid just £15 million in taxes and fees to the UK last year on their drilling, compared to over £6.3 billion to the Norwegian government over the same period, according to Global Witness analysis of Shell’s latest tax reporting, released today.

This means Shell paid around just 22p per UK citizen, compared to the £1,171 it paid for every citizen of Norway. This £15 million is much closer to the £9.7 million it awarded its CEO in 2022, than the considerably more it paid to most other countries in which it drills. read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

Shell: Expect ‘continuous’ flaring at Pennsylvania cracker plant during maintenance

Shell: Expect ‘continuous’ flaring at cracker plant during maintenance

CHRISSY SUTTLES   Beaver County Times

MARCH 28, 2023

POTTER TWP. – Residents should expect continuous elevated flaring at Shell’s ethane cracker plant as crews perform maintenance and repairs at the facility.

Shell leadership announced a controlled shutdown of portions of the Beaver County petrochemicals complex Saturday for repairs and maintenance on one of the unit systems.

“This will require us to fully activate our elevated flare for a period of time,” company representatives posted on Facebook. “We apologize for any noise or visual disruption this may cause our friends and neighbors.” read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

Shell: All Options On The Table For New Energy Strategy

OILPRICE.COM

Shell: All Options On The Table For New Energy Strategy

  • Shell is considering a new energy strategy to balance climate targets with energy security.
  • The CEO mentioned that the new strategy is expected to be released in June, with all options on the table regarding production targets and strategic decisions.
  • Shell is experiencing the energy trilemma, trying to balance affordable, secure, and low emissions supply, while still needing oil and gas for the long term future.

Shell is currently deliberating how to reconcile energy security with climate targets in a new strategy expected in June, with all options on the table, the supermajor’s chief executive Wael Sawan told The Wall Street Journal in a recent interview.

Whatever the decision of Sawan, other top executives, and the board, Shell is likely to disappoint investors, environmentalists, or both. read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

Shell publishes reports on Sustainability, Climate & Energy Transition Lobbying and Payments to Governments

Shell publishes reports on Sustainability, Climate & Energy Transition Lobbying and Payments to Governments

Shell plc has published its 2022 Sustainability Report, its 2022 Climate and Energy Transition Lobbying Report and its 2022 Payments to Governments Report.

Shell has been formally reporting on sustainability-related performance for more than 25 years, with the aim of being transparent about activities that are important to investors, governments, and civil society. The Shell Sustainability Report outlines our social, safety and environmental performance in 2022 and sets out our progress in transitioning our business to net-zero emissions. read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

Shell’s divestments in Nigeria

The Washington Post

Big Oil is selling off its polluting assets — with unintended consequences

Shell’s divestments in Nigeria help the company meet its green goals. But villagers and watchdogs say conditions have worsened after the sales.

By  March 27, 2023 at 2:00 a.m. EDT

NEMBE, Nigeria — When Lambert Ogbari learned that the oil giant Shell was selling its local operations to a Nigerian firm, he said he felt hopeful his living conditions would finally improve. But he quickly noticed that maintenance on the oil wells surrounding his village had declined.

Then, one night, Ogbari woke up to a loud bang, followed by the smell of gas. Crude oil was shooting out of a well near his home with such force that people hundreds of yards away could hear the roar.

As the world wrestles with climate change, major oil companies are selling off polluting assets around the globe. Shell, which announced in 2021 that it is looking to exit Nigeria’s onshore market completely, has repeatedly said in annual reports over the past eight years that divestments in Nigeria and elsewhere have played an important role in decreasing the company’s greenhouse gas emissions. Shell’s withdrawal is part of an exodus by some of the world’s top energy companies from the Niger Delta, which had long made Nigeria the largest oil producer in Africa. read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

Shell: Gas field in Groningen must be completely closed this year, in light of earthquakes

NL TIMES

Shell: Gas field in Groningen must be completely closed this year, in light of earthquakes

SUNDAY, 26 MARCH 2023 

The gas field in Groningen must be completely closed this year, said the CEO of Shell Netherlands, Marjan van Loon. Currently, the gas field is still supplying minimal amounts of gas to keep the wells usable, but she doesn’t think that’s necessary. “It can and must be done, so the field has to be closed,” Van Loon said on the TV program WNL Op Zondag. read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

Residents want answers about loud bang, orange glow at Beaver County Shell cracker plant

“Shell has received three notices of violations, submitted at least 10 malfunction reports and violated the prohibition on the visible mission…”: “Those effects can include things like cancer and respiratory aggravation, potentially leading to asthma.”

CBS PITTSBURGH

Residents want answers about loud bang, orange glow at Beaver County Shell cracker plant

MONACA, Pa. (KDKA) – Community members in Monaca are demanding answers after a loud bang and an orange glow filled the night sky from across the river at the Shell cracker plant.

Shell posted to Facebook apologizing for the loud noise Tuesday night, but residents KDKA-TV’s Meghan Schiller talked to said the explainer just left them feeling more confused and frustrated, and they still don’t know why there’s a hose spraying water at the plant almost 24 hours later.

“Eyes on Shell got notification from watchdogs around 9:50 or 10 o’clock at night of both the loud booms that are mentioned in Shell’s Facebook post as well as the light,” said Anaïs Peterson, Petrochemicals Campaigner with EarthWorks.

People started sending pictures to the community watchdog group Eyes on Shell. They shared pictures with KDKA-TV showing the dark smoke and bright orange color filling the sky.

“When they’re operating correctly, usually you don’t see any flare, any flame shooting out of the top,” said Dr. Clifford Lau, project manager of the Upper Ohio River Valley Monitoring Group. read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

UK pension funds threaten to vote against BP and Shell directors over climate targets – FT

UK pension funds threaten to vote against BP and Shell directors over climate targets – FT

Reuters: Sun, March 12, 2023 

March 12 (Reuters) – Two of the UK’s largest pension schemes will vote against the election of top directors at BP Plc and Shell Plc at their annual meetings unless both companies improve their commitments to tackling carbon emissions, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

The plan by the Britain’s Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and Borders to Coast, which together oversee 130 billion pounds ($156.36 billion) in assets, was part of efforts to push oil companies and banks to make faster progress on climate change pledges, the report added. read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

Shell Is Reviewing Its Plan To Reduce Oil Production This Decade

OILPRICE.COM

Shell Is Reviewing Its Plan To Reduce Oil Production This Decade

  • The CEO of Shell has said that the company’s plan to reduce oil production by up to 2% each year this decade is now under review.

  • In 2021, Shell said that its oil production had peaked in 2019 and would continue to decline over the next three decades.

  • Recent events have highlighted the fragility of the global energy system and now Shell wants to focus on ensuring energy supply.

Shell’s plan to have its oil production decline by up to 2% each year this decade is currently under review, the supermajor’s new CEO Wael Sawan told The Times in an interview published on Friday, adding that he is a firm believer of the statement “don’t deny people energy.”

Back in 2021, Shell said that its oil production peaked in 2019 and is set for a continual decline over the next three decades as it looks toward the renewables side of the business. read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

Damning report slams state, oil companies for Groningen gas failures

DutchNews.nl

Damning report slams state, oil companies for Groningen gas failures

February 24, 2023 – By Robin Pascoe

The interests of the people of Groningen were systematically ignored by both the government and oil companies, and making money remained the dominant concern when natural gas extraction started causing earthquakes, according to the parliamentary commission set up to investigate.

The worlds of those making the decisions and the locals were ‘miles apart’, commission chief Tom van der Lee said at the presentation of the report into the problems, which has taken two years and hundreds of interviews to complete.

Gas extraction has become an ‘unprecedented system failure’ and both the public and private sector have failed in their duties, Van der Lee said.

Ministers were not properly informed and that meant that MPs could not fulfill their role as guardians of the public interest. The damage, both material and mental, suffered by locals was consistently underestimated and the maximalisation of profit was the guiding force. read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

Dutch gov’t, Shell and Exxon ignored Groningen risks for years, inquiry finds

“Gas extraction in Groningen was so successful and lucrative for the Dutch government, Shell and Exxon Mobil that they hardly took any notion of the long-term risks and the ever-clearer signs of the detrimental effects for the people in Groningen…” 

REUTERS

Dutch gov’t, Shell and Exxon ignored Groningen risks for years, inquiry finds

AMSTERDAM, Feb 24 (Reuters) – The Dutch government and energy companies Shell (SHEL.L) and Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) ignored the risks of gas production in Groningen for years, to the detriment of people living in the province, a parliamentary inquiry concluded on Friday.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte and others involved “gravely underestimated” the urgency of the problems in Groningen, said the committee set up to investigate the decades of lucrative gas extraction that caused tremors damaging thousands of houses and buildings in the region.

The massive Groningen field is operated by Shell and Exxon joint venture NAM and was one of Europe’s major suppliers of natural gas for decades.

“These are hard and painful conclusions,” Rutte told a news conference. “They make clear there is a lot to do to help the region and to hopefully restore trust.”

The government will take time provide a full response to the report, he said without indicating how long that would take.

A statement from NAM director Johan Atema said: “It is clear that we need to have a better eye for the society in which we work. It is up to us to show that we as a company have learned from this.” read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

Shell cracker plant once again issued pollution violation notice

CBS News

Shell cracker plant once again issued pollution violation notice

INDUSTRY, Pa. (KDKA) – The Shell cracker plant in Beaver County has once again been issued a pollution violation notice. 

This is the third time the state’s department of environmental protection has said the plant has exceeded emission limits, once again violating rolling 12-month standards in November and December.

The plant has only been operational since November. 

The DEP said in November it emitted 716 tons of volatile organic compounds, 200 tons above what is allowed.  read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

Fossil fuel greenwash

GLOBAL WITNESS

Fossil fuel greenwash

15 February 2023

Despite growing pressure to curb greenwashing, oil and gas majors Shell and BP continue to promote environmentally friendly narratives their core business does not back up.

In the wake of a UK government warning in late 2021 to stop making misleading environmental claims, BP has more than doubled the amount spent on purchasing advertisements that greenwash its image on Facebook and Instagram compared to 2021.

Meanwhile Shell has continued to run greenwashing ads on Instagram without disclosing the ads relate to political issues as required by the platform. Meta has allowed Shell to re-publish essentially identical political ads without labelling them as such, and continued to profit from the greenwashing ads of polluting industries. read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

GROUPS URGE PA TO TEMPORARILY HALT OPERATIONS AT SHELL CHEMICAL PLANT FOR ONGOING AIR POLLUTION VIOLATIONS

GROUPS URGE PA TO TEMPORARILY HALT OPERATIONS AT  SHELL CHEMICAL PLANT FOR ONGOING AIR POLLUTION VIOLATIONS

Pittsburgh, PA — A pair of environmental organizations today sent a letter to Pennsylvania urging the state to temporarily halt operations at a Shell plastics chemical plant northwest of Pittsburgh that has repeatedly violated air pollution limits and recently released plumes of black smoke for several hours.

Clean Air Council and the Environmental Integrity Project asked the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to temporarily halt operations of the Shell Polymers Monaca plant in Beaver County until the company can demonstrate it can operate in compliance with pollution control laws. read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

Shell lawsuit: Institutional investors back legal challenge over climate risk

CITYA.M.

Shell lawsuit: Institutional investors back legal challenge over climate risk

: SATURDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2023

A group of European institutional investors is backing a novel London lawsuit against energy giant Shell’s board over alleged climate mismanagement in a case that could have far-reaching implications for how companies tackle emissions.

Client Earth, an environmental law charity turned activist Shell investor, said it had filed a High Court claim on Wednesday, alleging Shell’s 11 directors have failed to manage the “material and foreseeable” risks posed to the company by climate change – and that they are breaking company law. read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.

A Lawsuit Against Big Oil Gets Personal

A Lawsuit Against Big Oil Gets Personal

An activist group is going after Shell’s board members in court. The suit could make life unpleasant for the people who oversee big polluters.

: Feb. 10, 2023

Is it risky to invest in oil and gas? Or is it risky not to?

Recent developments offer evidence of both. I want to unpack those developments today to better understand the future of petroleum in our lives.

On Thursday, the members of the board of directors of Shell, the oil giant, were sued in an English court. An activist group called ClientEarth, which is also a Shell shareholder, alleged that the board members are personally liable for failing to manage climate hazards. It’s the first such liability case against a company board and, depending on how it goes, it could make serving on an oil company board far riskier. read more

shellplc.website and its sister non-profit websites royaldutchshellplc.com, royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellenergy.website, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net and shell2004.com are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia feature.