Angry Dutch citizens on Thursday will ask their country’s highest court to put an immediate end to gas production in the Groningen region due to the risk of life-endangering earthquakes. read more

EXCLUSIVE: TV chef who previously campaigned for green causes is facing a major backlash

The TV chef has launched Jamie Oliver deli by Shell (Image: PA)

Shell, whose profits hit £4.3billion last year, is in the top 10 global carbon dioxide emitters. It is also involved in a corruption trial over dealings in Nigeria.

By Tom Bryant:Head Of Showbiz: 20:54, 15 JAN 2019

Jamie Oliver has sparked fresh fury after trying to defend his £5million food-to-go deal with Shell.

The TV chef, 43, yesterday launched his range for the oil giant, despite campaigning for action on climate change.

He said he had “thought a lot” before agreeing to it, adding: “There are pitfalls working for any client, they all have their own baggage.”

But campaigners hit out at his reasoning, which comes after Jamie told of a cash crisis at his company.

Shell, whose profits hit £4.3billion last year, is in the top 10 global carbon dioxide emitters. It is also involved in a corruption trial over dealings in Nigeria. 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

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

• In 2018 it would all be well for the earthquake victims in Groningen. But again they became victims, this time from a bureaucratic swamp.

• The underlying idea was clear: if gas extraction decreases, there are fewer quakes and fewer homes need to be strengthened.

• The goal is that Groningen residents in the earthquake area can live safely as quickly as possible

• A complete earthquake industry has emerged in Groningen…

• The decision by Minister Wiebes to stop gas extraction means that he has left € 70 billion of gas in the ground.

• A grocery mentality at the NAM, which was going to do difficult about the smallest amounts, a government that took it too long, an earthquake industry that was rigged and got the characteristics of a maze; in the end, that has all led to billions being left in the ground.

Printed below is an English translation of an article published today by the Dutch Financial Times, Financieele Dagblad. NAM is the Shell/Exxon Joint Venture company responsible for the earthquake blighted Groningen Gas Field and consequential potential bill for untold billions to deal with damaged residences.

No action but words for Groningen

BY Carel Grol: 1 JAN 2019

In 2018 it would all be well for the earthquake victims in Groningen. But again they became victims, this time from a bureaucratic swamp.

The most defining moment in the past year for Groningen was not the earthquake in Zeerijp on Monday 8 January. Not even Thursday, March 29, when Minister Eric Wiebes of Economic Affairs and Climate said: we are moving away from the gas. The actual turning point came in a meaningless Hague press room at Nieuwspoort, on Monday 2 July.

Prime Minister Rutte was visiting US President Trump that day, German Chancellor Merkel swore a government crisis, and later that evening Belgium would qualify for the quarter-final of the World Cup. Co Verdaas came into the modest room at the end of that sunny Monday morning. read more

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Jessica Jaganathan: DECEMBER 4, 2018

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell expects production at its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) unit to start at the end of the year, a spokeswoman told Reuters on Tuesday.

“We continue to progress Prelude towards operations, with safety and quality being our main focus … We expect to see production around the end of the year,” she told Reuters in an emailed statement.

Prelude – which will process natural gas produced offshore northern Australia and export it as LNG – is expected to have an annual LNG production capacity of 3.6 million tonnes. It will also produce 1.3 million tonnes a year of condensate and 400,000 tonnes a year of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). read more

‘Shell wants to be as transparent as possible, but we can not force ourselves to throw confidential information on the street on the basis of anonymous sources.’

Shell keeps profit tax in the Netherlands secret

Laurens Berentsen

Shell does not answer the question of whether it pays corporation tax in the Netherlands in addition to the income tax on gas extraction by the NAM. The oil company does not want to confirm or deny reporting on this in the newspaper Trouw. However, it can be concluded from the annual reports of Shell companies that the company does not pay tax on its profits in the Netherlands.

‘Shell wants to be as transparent as possible, but we can not force ourselves to throw confidential information on the street on the basis of anonymous sources.’ This is the reaction of CEO Marjan van Loon of Shell Nederland to the message from Trouw that the British-Dutch multinational does not pay any profit tax in the Netherlands. While Shell does make a profit in the Netherlands, even if the NAM remains out of consideration. For example, with its chemical plant in Moerdijk, the refinery in Pernis and petrol stations along the motorways. read more

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Possibly 15,000 houses must be strengthened. Of these, 2500 have an increased risk and some 7,000 still have to be inspected. Sietsma predicted that the whole operation will take five to seven years.

Printed below is an English translation of an article published today by the Dutch Financial Times, Financieele Dagblad. NAM is the Shell/Exxon Joint Venture company responsible for the earthquake blighted Groningen Gas Field and consequential potential bill for untold billions to deal with damaged residences.

House in Loppersum that has been damaged by the gas quakes and whose façade needs to be supported.ROBIN UTRECH / HOLLANDSE HOOGTE

Billions of future plans for a beautiful Groningen, but uncertainty about the approach to damage remains.

Bas Knoop

Debating about the future of Groningen, while many Groningers themselves still live in uncertainty about the handling of earthquake damage and the strengthening of houses. Is that possible? Several MPs struggled with this question on Thursday evening during a debate on the future plan for the quake province.

Sandra Beckerman, MP for the SP and Groningen, even took the word ‘surreal’ in the mouth. ‘I find it difficult to talk about a hip hydrogen bus when many people do not know if they live in a safe house.’ read more

Nov. 14, 2018 By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

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The government squeezed the NAM out of the claims settlement, because of the great dissatisfaction among the people in Groningen. Something else had to be rigged…

Printed below is an English translation of an article published today by the Dutch Financial Times, Financieele Dagblad. NAM is the Shell/Exxon Joint Venture company responsible for the earthquake blighted Groningen Gas Field and consequential potential bill for untold billions to deal with damaged residences.

‘Groningers who live in a container at the back of their yard, that’s a lot of noise’

Bruno van Ravels received the call on Friday, March 2, at home in Breda. On the line are boss at the Council of State: Bart Jan van Ettekoven, chairman of the administrative law department of the Council of State. ‘This is important. They want you to become the chairman of the Temporary Committee Mining Damage Groningen. ‘ read more

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The NAM, for example, had the reputation of being an exemplary company that neatly arranged its affairs for its citizens. That picture is different now. Allegations that the risks of gas extraction from small fields are not so, are no longer believed.

Printed below is an English translation of an article published today by the Dutch Financial Times, Financieele Dagblad. NAM is the Shell/Exxon Joint Venture company responsible for the earthquake blighted Groningen Gas Field and consequential potential bill for untold billions to deal with damaged residences.

Gas is now a dirty word outside of Groningen

Bas Knoop

The earthquake trauma of the Groningers now also causes unrest among citizens living near smaller gas fields. From Steenwijkerland to Waalwijk: more and more places are brewing resistance. Together with local authorities, citizens make gas extraction the subject of a political and legal battle with The Hague. read more