Gas

Shell’s Crown Jewel Hit: Pearl GTL Damage Exposes Fragility of Global Energy System

ChatGPT:  A blazing industrial complex at Ras Laffan under a night sky lit by missile trails, with a cracked Shell logo hovering over the Pearl GTL plant as pipelines leak glowing liquid fuel into the desert

By John Donovan

The Strike That Hit the Heart of Shell’s Empire

Shell’s flagship Pearl Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) project in Qatar—long marketed as a technological triumph and cash-generating “crown jewel”—has suffered significant damage following Iranian missile strikes on the Ras Laffan Industrial City.

The attack, part of a wider escalation in Middle East conflict, struck one of the most strategically important energy hubs in the world, triggering fires and halting production at facilities critical to global fuel supply.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Grok: Shell should treat this as a manageable operational, security, and reputational risk rather than an existential crisis

Prompt

As you can see from this article https://royaldutchshellplc.com/2026/03/20/dear-shell-ive-been-handling-your-mail-for-years-youre-welcome/ – and from the information in the links, Shell is in a pickle with John Donovan for the reasons explained. What would you advise Shell to do?

Grok Response B

Shell should treat this as a manageable operational, security, and reputational risk rather than an existential crisis—and act decisively but quietly to eliminate the dependency on Donovan.

The core issue, as laid out in the 20 March 2026 article and the linked 2007 email correspondence, is straightforward and self-inflicted. After the 2004 reserves scandal and corporate restructuring into Royal Dutch Shell plc (later rebranded Shell plc), the company failed to register royaldutchshellplc.com. Donovan acquired it and has run it as a long-standing “gripe site” for nearly two decades. People worldwide still email addresses @royaldutchshellplc.com thinking they are reaching official Shell channels. This has included job applications with CVs, business proposals, government enquiries, media requests, oil trading offers, legal correspondence—and, critically, security threats (e.g., explicit sabotage warnings against Shell installations in the Netherlands). read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s LNG Boom Forecast: 54% More Gas, 100% More Contradictions

A massive LNG tanker labelled “Energy Transition” crossing a bridge made of pipelines. The bridge stretches endlessly into the horizon, never reaching land. Below, rising sea levels and melting icebergs. Shell executives stand on deck pointing forward, while climate scientists look concerned in the water below.

Shell has delivered its latest vision of the future — and, surprise, it looks remarkably like the past, just chilled to minus 162°C.

According to its newest outlook, global demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) is expected to rise by at least 54% by 2040, reinforcing the company’s long-standing belief that the world simply cannot quit fossil fuels — even as it promises to do exactly that.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s Groningen Hangover: Dutch State and NAM Clash Over a €789 Million Earthquake Bill

If you ever needed a case study in how fossil fuel profits can turn into long-term liabilities, look no further than Groningen — where the bill for decades of gas extraction has finally landed… and nobody wants to pay it.

This week, the Dutch state and Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) — the Shell-Exxon joint venture that once turned Groningen into Europe’s gas powerhouse — faced off in court over who should cover hundreds of millions of euros in earthquake damage compensation.

The sum in dispute? A modest €789 million. Pocket change for an oil major — until it isn’t. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Eyes Venezuela’s Oil Jackpot: Climate Promises Take Another Holiday

Just when you thought the world’s biggest oil companies might slow down their hunt for new fossil-fuel frontiers, along comes Venezuela — the planet’s largest untapped oil treasure chest — and suddenly climate pledges look suspiciously like optional extras.

According to fresh reports, Chevron and Shell are moving closer to major oil and gas agreements in Venezuela, marking the first large-scale deals since the country’s political upheaval and reopening of its energy sector to foreign investment.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Energy Transition Strategy: The Transition That Must Not Affect Quarterly Earnings

A central theme running through Shell’s Annual Report is the company’s strategy for navigating the global energy transition.

This transition is widely recognised as one of the most significant economic and technological shifts of the 21st century.

For companies whose historical success has been closely tied to oil and gas, it also presents the delicate challenge of transforming the energy system while continuing to generate the profits that shareholders have become accustomed to.

Shell describes its approach as a “balanced and pragmatic pathway.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Crisis in the Middle East, Opportunity in Brazil: Shell Eyes a Fossil Fuel Bonanza

While politicians talk endlessly about climate targets and energy transitions, the oil industry tends to operate on a much simpler principle: follow the barrels.

And right now, Shell believes those barrels increasingly lie beneath the Atlantic waters off Brazil.

According to a Reuters report, Shell’s Brazilian chief has described the country’s oil sector as presenting an “enormous opportunity” for investment and expansion. (SahmAttachment.tiff)

The comment came amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have once again reminded energy companies of the advantages of producing oil in politically stable regions.

Brazil, it turns out, looks very attractive. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s Venezuelan Comeback: Big Oil Returns to the World’s Most Sanctioned Oil Patch

For years, Venezuela was the oil industry’s forbidden zone — a country with the largest proven oil reserves on Earth but locked behind layers of sanctions, political turmoil and diplomatic brinkmanship.

Now the door is creaking open again.

Recent reporting by Upstream Online and other energy news outlets indicates that Shell has confirmed it is preparing to move forward with Venezuelan energy opportunities, following major shifts in U.S. sanctions policy that now allow international oil companies to negotiate deals with the country’s state oil company, PDVSA. (upstreamonline.comAttachment.tiff) read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s “Green” Venture Portfolio Under Review — Translation: The Climate Side Hustle Isn’t Paying Fast Enough

In yet another sign that “transition” remains a flexible word inside oil major boardrooms, Shell has placed parts of its Shell Ventures portfolio under strategic review, according to a February 26, 2026 Reuters report.

The message from The Hague (or rather, London, depending on which corporate reincarnation you’re referencing): if it doesn’t pump cash like LNG, it may not survive the cull.

The Venture That Was Supposed to Prove It Cared

Shell Ventures was launched to signal that the company was serious about investing in the future: clean tech, mobility platforms, energy storage, grid software, hydrogen plays, and various digital decarbonisation tools. It was the corporate equivalent of buying an electric bicycle while continuing to own the motorway. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s METLEN LNG Deal: Europe’s Energy Security — or Another Golden Age for Gas?

In the latest chapter of Europe’s great post-2022 energy reshuffle, Shell has signed a long-term LNG supply agreement with Greece’s METLEN Energy & Metals — a deal that underscores one unavoidable reality of 2025–2026: Europe may talk green, but it is still running on gas.

The agreement positions Shell as a key supplier of liquefied natural gas into the Greek and broader southeastern European market, reinforcing its already formidable role in Europe’s evolving gas infrastructure. On paper, it is a logical move. In practice, it is another reminder that the continent’s energy transition remains tightly tethered to hydrocarbons. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s $24 Billion “Energy Transition”: Selling LNG to Adnoc While the Climate Clock Ticks

In the ever-evolving theatre of global energy, Shell plc appears to be rehearsing another familiar act: trim the portfolio, cash in on hydrocarbons, and call it “discipline.”

According to multiple industry reports in February 2026, Shell is in talks with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) regarding the potential sale of its stake in a major Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. Estimates suggest the stake could be valued at up to $24 billion. That is not pocket change — even for a supermajor. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s Great Australian Escape: Fossil Fuels, Fickle Strategy and the LNG Laundromat

Opinion / Commentary — Not Financial Advice

By John Donovan

The Exit Interview Nobody Asked For

Shell Plc — the global oil and gas supermajor once synonymous with “the future of energy” — is performing what might be the most dramatic corporate version of “it’s not you, it’s me” in fossil fuels. Its latest act is to divest a roughly 16.67% stake in Australia’s North West Shelf (NWS) liquefied natural gas (LNG) project — a facility that helped define Australia’s decades-long gas boom — in a maneuver analysts say signals more than a portfolio tweak. It’s the unravelling of a 50-year partnership and perhaps a metaphor for Shell’s strategic identity crisis.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell vs Venture Global: When LNG Contracts Meet the Fine Print—and the Missing Emails

Shell plc likes to present itself as a disciplined, rules-based operator in global energy markets — a company that respects contracts, arbitration outcomes, and the sanctity of carefully worded legal agreements.

Unless, of course, it loses.

Then the fine print suddenly becomes a battleground, and the missing emails start to matter a great deal.

From ‘Binding Arbitration’ to ‘Let’s See the Emails’

Shell’s long-running dispute with U.S. LNG producer Venture Global was supposed to end neatly with arbitration. In August 2025, it did — and not in Shell’s favour. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Meet Your New Oil Industry Editor: Artificial Intelligence

Please read in conjunction with “When AI Becomes the Corporate Sub-Editor: How Algorithms Now Police Investigative Journalism

Once upon a time, oil companies relied on lawyers to intimidate journalists after publication. Threatening letters, aggressive defamation claims, and drawn-out legal battles were simply the cost of doing business when inconvenient facts surfaced.

Today, the industry has something far more efficient.

It doesn’t argue.

It doesn’t sue.

It edits you before you hit publish. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Profile of Shell’s nightmare, John Donovan, extracted from Amazon

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Profile of John Donovan extracted from Amazon where his Shell focussed books have been sold for many years despite threats from Shell lawyers.

In 1979, John Donovan was the co-founder of a sales promotion company, Don Marketing, which created promotional games for blue chip clients such as BP. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell, ExxonMobil and the Netherlands: Arbitration Battles over Groningen’s Closure and Earthquake Legacy

The Groningen gas field in the Netherlands — once Europe’s largest — now at the centre of arbitration cases by Shell, ExxonMobil and NAM against the Dutch state over closure terms and compensation rights.

The long-running saga over the Netherlands’ Groningen gas field — once Europe’s largest — has entered a new, highly contested legal phase: multiple arbitration cases by energy majors Shell plc and ExxonMobil against the Dutch government and state-linked entities. These disputes touch on issues ranging from contractual interpretation and reputational risk to international investment law and public policy. The unfolding legal fight raises important questions about accountability, investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), and the shifting balance between profit rights and public interest in the energy transition. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.