CNBC

Shell’s massive carbon capture facility in Canada emits far more than it captures, study says

• The “Quest” plant in Alberta, Canada, owned by oil giant Shell, has previously been touted as a “thriving example” of how CCS is working to significantly reduce carbon emissions.
• However, an investigation by watchdog group Global Witness, showed that while 5 million tons of carbon dioxide had been prevented from escaping into the atmosphere at the plant since 2015, it released a further 7.5 million tons of greenhouse gases over the same period.
• In response, a spokesperson for Shell told CNBC via email that the analysis was “simply wrong.”

One of the only facilities in the world that uses carbon capture and storage technology (CCS) to reduce the emissions of hydrogen production has been found to emit far more greenhouse gas emissions than it captures.

The Quest plant in Alberta, Canada, owned by oil giant Shell and designed to capture carbon emissions from oil sands operations and safely store them underground, has previously been touted as a “thriving example” of how CCS is working to significantly reduce carbon emissions. read more

Shell’s carbon capture project emits more GHG than it sequesters

NGO Global Witness reports that Shell’s Quest carbon capture project in Canada is pushing more greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere than it is capturing.

One of the few fossil hydrogen plants in the world to use a carbon capture system, Quest is a carbon capture and storage project at a hydrogen plant run by Shell on behalf of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project. It opened in 2015 and according to Shell’s website has captured and stored more than five million tonnes of CO2. read more

S&P Global Platts

Oil, gas, LNG to be Shell’s ‘cash engines’ for decades: CEO Van Beurden

• AuthorNick Coleman 
• EditorJonathan Loades-Carter
• Oct 6, 2021

Shell plans to keep investing in oil, gas and liquefied natural gas as the “cash engines” for the energy transition and expects its giant LNG Canada project, targeted at Asian markets, will operate well into the second half of the century, CEO Ben van Beurden said Oct. 6.

Speaking at the online Energy Intelligence Forum, Van Beurden dismissed notions of winding down the upstream oil and gas business as “silly” and said there was “nothing illegitimate” about producing oil and gas. In the global energy system, “to just believe that you can switch 100% from coal to 100% renewables…is a little bit of a silly notion,” he said. read more

Shell proposes large-scale CCS facility in Alberta

Tuesday, July 13, 2021, 12 AM MDT

CALGARY, AB, July 13, 2021 /CNW/ – Today, Shell announced a proposal to build a large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at its Scotford Complex near Edmonton. This would be a key step in transforming Scotford into one of five energy and chemicals parks for Shell around the world, providing customers with lower-carbon fuels and products into the future, such as hydrogen.

The proposed Polaris CCS project, the largest in a series of low-carbon opportunities Shell is exploring at Scotford, would capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the Shell-owned Scotford refinery and chemicals plant. The initial phase is expected to start operations around the middle of the decade, subject to a final investment decision by Shell expected in 2023. Polaris would have storage capacity of about 300 million tonnes of CO2 over the life of the project. read more

THE NEW YORK TIMES

A Week of Big Blows for Big Oil

Two victories by environmental activists added to the uncertainty surrounding the industry and Canada’s oil sands.

By Ian Austen: May 29, 2021

For environmentalists, it was a week of victories. For the oil and gas companies they vanquished, as well as Alberta and the other parts of Canada that rely on the energy industry, the week brought new uncertainties.

But environmentalists also dealt a blow to one of those European oil companies, Royal Dutch Shell, this week. A Dutch court ruled that Shell was “obliged” to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of its activities by 45 percent by the end of 2030, compared with 2019 levels. Shell had already announced a 2050 target for reaching net zero emissions, but the decision, if upheld, will force it to speed up its efforts. read more

Shell Sells Non-Core Canadian Shale Assets to Crescent Point Energy

NEWS PROVIDED BY: Shell Canada Limited: Feb 17, 2021, 17:08 ET

CALGARY, AB, Feb. 17, 2021 /CNW/ – Royal Dutch Shell plc, through its affiliate Shell Canada Energy (“Shell”), has reached an agreement with publicly listed Canadian energy company Crescent Point Energy Corp. (“Crescent Point”) to sell its Duvernay shale light oil position in Alberta, Canada for a total consideration of US$707 million (C$900 million). The transaction has an effective date of January 1, 2021. read more

Big Oil’s future could be smaller than its past

Paul Takahashi, Staff writer: Feb. 6, 2021

Oil companies have crisscrossed the world for more than a century, drilling on nearly every continent and in ever deeper oceans to prospect for fossil fuels that power the global economy.

While they did, the biggest six or seven companies collectively known as Big Oil reshaped international politics and economies, bending them to their will. Oil executives became statesmen in their own right, negotiating deals with foreign leaders to extract oil from the tar sands of Canada, the deserts of the Middle East, off the coasts of South America and Africa and in the shale formations of the U.S. read more

SHELL TAKES 40% STAKE IN MONTREAL WASTE-TO-CHEMICALS PLANT

By Mary Page Bailey | January 8, 2021

Shell will take a 40% interest in a waste-to-fuels plant using technology developed by Enerkem, a leading Canadian clean tech company. Enerkem announced the project in December 2020, subject to finalization of commercial agreements.

The approximately C$875 million commercial-scale facility will be constructed in Varennes, Québec, and will produce low-carbon fuels and renewable chemicals products from non-recyclable waste using Enerkem’s proprietary technology. Commissioning of the first phase of the facility is scheduled for 2023. Critical investment in the plant comes from Shell, Enerkem, Suncor, Proman and Hydro-Québec, as well as from the Québec and Canadian governments. read more

Shell to close Singapore base oil unit in 2022

Published date: 23 December 2020

Shell plans to close the Group I base oil unit at its 500,000 b/d Pulau Bukom refinery in Singapore amid moves to scale back its fuel-based product slate at the plant.

The company said last month it planned to cut around 250,000 b/d of refining capacity in Singapore as part of its shift to lower-carbon alternatives.

It also plans to close the 380,000 t/yr base oil unit at the refinery from July 2022.

The shutdown would come just a year after the closure of Galp’s 110,000 b/d Porto refinery in Portugal next year. Galp announced that plan earlier this week. The refinery is home to a 185,000 t/yr Group I base oil unit. read more

Michael Crothers (CNW Group/Shell Canada Limited)

By John Donovan

Printed below is a press release announcing the retirement of Michael Crothers as Shell Canada Country Chair and the appointment of his successor, Susannah Pierce.

In August 2013, The Observer newspaper and Guardian Online published an article “Strange tale of Shell’s pipeline battle, the Gardaí and £30,000 of booze”

On the instructions of Shell E&P Ireland, an Irish Company called OSSL distributed bribes to the Irish Police and other parties in an attempt to smooth the path of the highly controversial Corrib Gas Project in Ireland. read more

New York Becomes The First State To Divest From Oil And Gas

09/12/2020 13:10 GMT | Updated 09/12/2020 14:54 GMT

The Empire State’s pension fund is the largest to dump fossil fuel investments ― ever, in the entire world.

New York state announced plans on Wednesday to eject oil and gas stocks from its $226 billion financial portfolio, becoming the first U.S. state and the biggest pension fund anywhere to divest from fossil fuels.

By 2025, the New York State Common Retirement Fund, which disburses some $1 billion in benefits to retirees each year, will sell off its “riskiest” oil and gas stocks, following a review. The state aims to completely eliminate carbon polluters from its portfolio by 2040. read more

Royal Dutch Shell: Energy Transition Woes

• Poor messaging from management, as well as an ill-prepared balance sheet caused in part by buybacks, has caused the European major a lot of pain.
• Arguably, senior executives deserve to be shown the door. But even if that happens, expect the pivot away from fossil fuels to continue.
• Is the move into Power and other “Green Energy” assets the right move? Maybe, maybe not.
• This idea was discussed in more depth with members of my private investing community, Energy Income Authority. Get started today »

I often get asked why I don’t cover the supermajors all that often on Seeking Alpha. The answer comes down to a rather simple reality: time invested versus potential gain. Anyone that has followed my long / short book knows that whatever I take a stake in, I know inside out. Quite frankly, the sprawling operations of most majors coupled with competing against institutionals that have enough research analysts on the payroll to pack a local gymnasium makes it a losing proposition – or at least in my view. read more

The international oil giant will cut about 40pc of overheads including staff…

Shell cuts back on fracking to fund renewable energy drive

The oil giant is seeking to free up investment for early-stage carbon capture and hydrogen projects

Falling oil and gas prices due to the pandemic have taken the shine off many assets and triggered heavy write-downs.

By Rachel Millard: 19 September 2020 • 9:30pm

Shell is making deep cuts in its fracking business as it tries to free up cash to cope with the pandemic and invest in renewable energy. read more

Malabu Oil Deal: Canadian judge dismisses suit challenging Nigeria’s grounding of Etete’s jet

September 4, 2020: Oladeinde Olawoyin

A Canadian judge on Thursday dismissed an application seeking leave to appeal the judgement that confirmed the grounding of a luxury private jet purchased by a former Nigerian oil minister, Dan Etete, with some of the alleged proceeds of the controversial $1.3 billion Malabu OPL245 oil deal.

The suit was filed before the court by Tibit Limited, an anonymously owned company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), claiming ownership of the jet. read more

Shell Explores Sale of a Norwegian Natural Gas Business

Its shares are down 48% this year, giving the company a market value of around $115 billion.

(Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc said it’s considering a sale of a Norwegian natural gas supplier, as the energy major continues to selectively dispose of assets.

The company is exploring a disposal of its Gasnor unit, a spokesperson confirmed in response to Bloomberg queries. Shell has approached infrastructure funds and private equity firms about a deal, people with knowledge of the matter said, asking not to be identified as discussions are private. read more

By Alex Kimani – Aug 17, 2020, 7:00 PM CDT

Booms and bust cycles are very much a part of investing in the fossil fuel sector. In previous energy downturns, prices frequently experienced serious slumps, but oil and gas companies mostly kept faith in their biggest asset: Oil and gas reserves buried deep in the ground. But things are markedly different this time around.

Faced with pandemic-driven demand destruction and a relentless call for climate-conscious and ethical investing, oil executives are resigning themselves to the uncomfortable fact that a significant amount of their vast oil and gas reserves will end up totally worthless. read more