BNN Bloomberg

Shell Appeals $2 Billion Judgment in Nigeria Pollution Case

William Clowes, Bloomberg News: 20 Jan 2022

(Bloomberg) — A Nigerian court will hear Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s appeal to overturn an almost $2 billion award against the company for allegedly spilling oil in the West African country.

The energy giant is challenging a November 2020 judgment in favor of community members claiming a leak from a company pipeline damaged their land and waterways. A federal court of appeal in the city of Owerri is scheduled to consider applications from both sides on Jan. 25, according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs. read more

Go faster, be bolder”: setting the pace at Shell

CEO Ben van Beurden talks about the year just gone, the year to come and why Shell must speed up its transformation.

By Joanna Wrighton and Rob van’t Wel on Jan 20, 2022

It was another extraordinary year for Shell. What were the highlights of 2021 for you?

The launch of our Powering Progress strategy was a huge moment. It’s the most complete and clearest articulation of our strategy in Shell’s recent history. It includes ambitious goals for shareholders, for action on carbon emissions, for people and for the environment. Powering Progress also sets the most ambitious targets in our industry to reduce emissions. read more

-By Zik Gbemre

RENEWED SHELL DIVESTMENT OF ONSHORE ASSETS: NOTHING TO CHEER ABOUT

• Insecurity is the single challenge pushing Shell and other multinationals out of the dreadful Nigerian investment climate.
• It’s hypocritical of the President and Governors of the Niger Delta to go about the world begging for foreign investors when those already established are exiting the country.
• Even for a developed economy like Russia, Putin had to step in to restrain Shell’s threat to leave the disunited Soviet Union at war with breakaway nations.

Insecurity was the biggest challenge that forced Shell to start divesting its onshore assets in the Niger-Delta, starting with stakes in Delta state in 1999.

Due to large scale youth violence encouraged by Chief James Ibori, tribal wars, ceaseless oil theft and communal disturbances, climaxing in a deliberate attempt by Governor Ibori successor cousin, Emmanuel Uduaghan’s desperation to buy some of the key assets provided the impetus for Shell’s gradual exit from Delta. read more

London Evening Standard

Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden: Carbon emissions court ruling was ‘body blow’

By Simon Freeman: 20 Jan 2022
ROYAL DUTCH SHELL’s CEO Ben van Beurden today described a court ruling from The Hague ordering faster, deeper cuts to the company’s carbon emissions as a “body blow”.

In comments likely to provoke controversy among green activists, he said: “I was listening at home as the judge gave her verdict. It felt like a body blow.

“I found it deeply troubling that Shell as a single business should be held accountable for how the world produces and uses energy.” read more

Shell broadband is the worst company I have ever dealt with…

19 Jan 2022

The content below is sourced from current customer reviews of Shell Energy and Shell Broadband published on Trustpilot.

Shell broadband is the worst…

This is the worst company I have ever dealt with.
I moved house, asked them to cancel my account and send me a bag to send the router back. I had to call them 11 times to ask for the bag and nothing arrived. I returned it at my own expense. They threatened to take £35.00 for the router from my bank account which I cancelled. Luckily I had proof that I sent it back. Will never ever deal with these people again. It was a simple request that they made extremely hard. read more

The Times

Prelude to brighter future for gas runs into a storm

Emily Gosden Energy Editor: Monday 17 Jan 2022

In the open ocean more than 120 miles off the coast of Australia lies Prelude, Shell’s floating liquefied natural gas plant — the biggest floating object ever made. The energy group spent billions of dollars building the vessel, the length of four football pitches, to tap gas beneath the seabed in this remote location, superchill it to a liquid and offload it to tankers to sell worldwide. read more

NL TIMES

Thousands of Groningen gas opponents demand earthquake damage compensation

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16, 2022

An estimated eight to ten thousand people in Groningen took part in a torchlight procession against gas extraction in the province. The municipality was satisfied with the protest, which drew attention to the people living in the earthquake area.

The protest was organized in response to the Cabinet’s decision to double gas production. Protesters were also upset at the poor organization of subsidies for homeowners to strengthen their homes and make them more sustainable. read more

…no tax or LNG royalties from… Shell’s Prelude projects…

The Guardian

Western Australia’s offshore gasfields pay almost no royalties and stoke carbon emissions, report finds

Australia Institute report finds state received only $430m of its revenue from industry that generated $27bn in exports last year

Peter Hannam: Sun 16 Jan 2022 16.30 GMT

Australia’s giant offshore gasfields are paying almost no royalties, create few jobs and are a large and rising source of greenhouse gases, according to a new report from the Australia Institute. read more

the guardian.com

Energy firms boosted by gas price spikes paid £200bn to shareholders since 2010

Oil and gas companies should face a windfall tax to keep down consumers’ heating bills, says report from leftwing thinktank

Phillip Inman: Sun 16 Jan 2022 08.15 GMT

Oil and gas companies have handed shareholders almost £200bn since 2010 and should be hit with a windfall tax to cap heating bills that are set to rise by as much as £500 a year, according to a report on the finances of the UK’s energy sector. read more

SHELL BROADBAND

15 Jan 2022

I have had to pay to leave my 12mths contract with Shell Energy Broadband early, which is a disgrace given the terrible service…

The content below is sourced from current customer reviews of Shell Energy Broadband published on Trustpilot.

By 1pm Broadband failed twice today

… only 1pm and already today the broadband signal has failed to travel the space of less than a metre from the router to my laptop. If you want cheap broadband from Shell Energy, make sure you have loads of wires available to be able to rely on a signal to your devices. Otherwise you will be disappointed with the service. Only 3 more sleeps and I will have a new provider. I have had to pay to leave my 12mths contract with Shell Energy Broadband early, which is a disgrace given the terrible service I have received over the last nine months. I have been advised to contact Ofcom, so this is on my jobs to do list read more

15 Jan 2022

The content below is sourced from current customer reviews of Shell Energy published on Trustpilot.

Shell Energy have not got a clue!

Shell Energy have not got a clue! Apart from overcharging their customer service dept is horrendous! They overcharged us…then reimbursed us…then demanded the money again!! Absolute clowns. Do not sign up to Shell Energy peoples!!! Stick with British Gas.

A shower of cluelessness

I needed to upgrade my main fuse and was told by my network supplier that my energy company (Shell) should’ve upgraded the tails when they installed my smart meter. As they hadn’t, I rang to try and arrange them to be changed. After being on hold for 15 minutes I spoke to the first operator who seemed clueless as to what I was asking and transferred me to EV tariff team who (unsurprisingly and after a further hold) also didn’t know what I needed. They passed me back to customer services who (after another 20 minutes on hold) again seemed confused and gave me a phone number for the smart meter installers. I rang them who said any appointment needed to be organised by Shell and referred to them! Nobody but Shell is allowed to touch the meter tails so I’m completely stuck because of their cluelessness. read more

The Business Standard

Shell’s tax-free days in the Bahamas are numbered

Companies like Shell have long exploited tax shelters to further profits but as global tax pressure increases, the advantageous rates tax havens offer will come under pressure

Shell achieved excellent returns employing just 35 people in Nassau. Its staff worldwide numbers 87,000.  

Oil trading is a very profitable business. If you manage to pay no taxes on it and can work from a Caribbean beach, well, then it’s corporate heaven. read more

By John Donovan

I first heard from a very disgruntled Shell Energy customer, Mr John Wood, in 2019. He was one of the people who encouraged me to launch the shellenergy.website

John was delighted and greatly relieved when his nightmare contractual relationship with Shell Energy came to an end.

Unfortunately, his celebrations were short-lived. The company he switched to went bust and without his permission or consent the energy regulator switched his account back to Shell.

Shell Energy, a company he had come to despise, was forced on him. read more

Shell Prelude meltdown: Something went very badly wrong here…

EXPERT COMMENT ABOUT PRELUDE MELTDOWN BY “AN  OLD SHELL E&P ENGINEERING SEA DOG”

With reference to cargo loading operations at Prelude.

It’s been a while since I was involved with these activities but the principles remain the same.  As always there have been many revisions with the objective to improve overall safety for people and property.

Prelude in particular is unique as it exports three differing products with very different properties. 3.6 million tons of LNG, 1.3 million tons condense and 0.4 million tons of LPG. read more

The Great Reboot

Reuters

Activists behind Shell climate verdict target 30 multinationals

AMSTERDAM/LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) – The Dutch wing of environmental group Friends of the Earth, which won a landmark court victory against Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) last year, is targeting 30 major corporate emitters in a campaign launched on Thursday.

Milieudefensie has set its sights on large companies with legal bases in the Netherlands, where a court ruled in May that Shell must reduce its environmental footprint. read more read more

OFFSHORE ENERGY

Shell’s Prelude FLNG risked major failure due to power issues

Australia’s offshore security regulator NOPSEMA said Shell’s Prelude FLNG facility risked the “catastrophic failure” in December due to a power outage.

Prelude is a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility, located offshore, north-northeast of Broome, in Western Australia. It is designed to extract, liquefy and store natural gas at sea before it is transferred and shipped to customers. It arrived at its current location back in mid-2017.

At the beginning of December 2021,  Shell had to temporarily suspend production at the facility because of a fire that occurred at the facility the day before. Previously, the FLNG unit went offline from February 2020 to January 2021 due to an electrical trip. read more