CNN

Shell accused of ‘greenwashing its harmful activities’ following partnership with British Cycling

By George Ramsay, CNN

Updated 9:39 AM EDT, Tue October 11, 2022

British Cycling is facing criticism from environmental campaign groups after signing a long-term partnership deal with Shell.

The partnership, which was announced on Monday and runs until the end of 2030, will help by “accelerating British Cycling’s path to net zero,” according to a press release from the governing body.

But environmental groups have condemned the move as an attempt by Shell to “greenwash its harmful activities.” read more

Reuters

Shell to buy African solar firm Daystar

STORY: Royal Dutch Shell will buy African solar provide Daystar Power, the two companies said on Wednesday (September 28).

That’s as the oil giant pursues a mandate of cutting its greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.

Shell is one of the most influential oil producers in Africa but the Daystar purchase is its first power acquisition on the continent.

Thomas Brostrom, Shell’s vice president for renewable generation, said in a statement that Shell was helping to address a “critical energy gap for many who rely on diesel generators for backup power”. read more

The announcement comes as the Ohio Valley’s flagship petrochemical project, Shell’s multibillion dollar ethane cracker plant in Potter Township, Beaver County, begins operations after a decade of planning and construction.

Flaring at Shell’s fracked plastic plant in Beaver County, PA. Photo from anonymous source.

Mike Bloomberg commits $85 million to stop petrochemical plants in Ohio Valley, Gulf Coast

LAURA LEGERE: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Sept 23, 2022

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is putting his wealth and clout into an effort to halt the expansion of petrochemical manufacturing in the Ohio Valley and two Gulf Coast states with an $85 million campaign.

The billionaire businessman and philanthropist announced Wednesday that the goal of the new Beyond Petrochemicals campaign is to “turbocharge” efforts by local community groups to block new plastics and petrochemical plants and curb pollution from existing plants in three target regions: the Ohio Valley, Louisiana and Texas. read more

The Guardian

Governments urged to act after oil giants accused of misleading public

Documents suggest Shell and BP staff privately downplayed public commitments on climate crisis

Alex Lawson Energy correspondent: Fri 16 Sep 2022 16.42 BST

Campaigners have urged governments to intervene after oil companies were accused of misleading the public about their commitment to reducing carbon emissions.

Oil and gas companies including Britain’s Shell and BP were urged to “stop their deception” this week as the US House committee on oversight and reform released documents showing that oil industry executives privately downplayed their public messages on efforts to tackle the climate crisis.

The memo claimed that internal BP documents highlighted how carbon capture and storage (CCS) – a nascent technology that involves inserting CO₂ emissions into underground rock formations – could “enable the full use of fossil fuels across the energy transition and beyond”.

Congressional investigators also unearthed an internal Shell email discussing carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) in which an executive said: “We want to be careful to not talk about CCUS as prolonging the life of oil, gas or fossil fuels writ large.” read more

The Guardian

Criticism intensifies after big oil admits ‘gaslighting’ public over green aims

Fury as ‘explosive’ files reveal largest oil companies contradicted public statements and wished bedbugs upon critical activists

Oliver Milman: Sat 17 Sep 2022 11.00 BST

Criticism in the US of the oil industry’s obfuscation over the climate crisis is intensifying after internal documents showed companies attempted to distance themselves from agreed climate goals, admitted “gaslighting” the public over purported efforts to go green, and even wished critical activists be infested by bedbugs.

The communications were unveiled as part of a congressional hearing held in Washington DC, where an investigation into the role of fossil fuels in driving the climate crisis produced documents obtained from the oil giants ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and BP.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they wish bedbugs on you, then you win,” said Varshini Prakash, executive director of Sunrise. The organization accused Shell of a “legacy of violence and of ignoring the wellbeing of communities across the globe”. read more

Big Oil Companies Are Greenwashing, Congress Committee Says

by Bloomberg: Kevin Crowley and Ari Natter: Saturday, September 17, 2022

A House congressional committee said internal documents from Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., Shell Plc, and BP Plc reveal that their public promises to fight climate change amount to greenwashing.

A cache of emails, lobbying and preparation materials for senior executives obtained by the Committee on Oversight and Reform show that Big Oil climate pledges rely on “unproven technology, accounting gimmicks, and misleading language to hide the reality,” Subcommittee Chair Ro Khanna said in an emailed statement. read more

OILPRICE.COM

Shell Slashes Refinery Output In EU As Drought Disrupts Transportation

By Julianne Geiger – Aug 19, 2022, 9:00 AM CDT

Shell slashed its refinery output at its Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland fuel-making facility as low Rhine River levels halted the flow of goods, Shell said on Thursday.

“Due to the low Rhine water level we have reduced the capacity of Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rhineland. The situation regarding supply is challenging but carefully managed,” Shell said in an emailed statement to Reuters. read more

The Guardian

Church of England pension boss’s shares in Shell ‘shocking’, say campaigners

Exclusive: Christian climate groups urge Clive Mather to resign and C of E to divest from fossil fuel

Damian Carrington Environment editor: Wed 17 Aug 2022 10.00 EDT

The chair of the Church of England Pensions Board, which has not divested its £3.5bn fund from fossil fuels, is a shareholder in Shell, the Guardian can reveal.

Clive Mather had a 38-year career at the oil company during which he oversaw a multibillion-dollar tar sands project in Canada. read more

Common Dreams

Amid Climate Crisis, Shell’s Financial Windfall Is Profiteering At Its Most Grotesque

ANDY ROWELL: July 31, 2022

Oil giant Shell has just posted record profits for a second consecutive quarter, smashing its previous record from earlier this year.

Shell posted adjusted earnings of a staggering USD 11.5 billion for the second quarter of this year, beating the USD 9.1 billion from the first three months of 2022.

Europe’s largest oil group was boosted by the sky-rocketing energy prices caused by the Ukraine war.

This means in the first six months of this year the oil giant has earnings of over USD 20 billion. This is profiteering at its most greedy and grotesque. read more

BBC News

Greenpeace lodges legal bid to halt Jackdaw gas field in North Sea

By Kevin Keane
BBC Scotland’s environment correspondent

Greenpeace has lodged a legal challenge over consent being given to develop a large North Sea gas field.

Regulators gave the go-ahead in June for Shell to develop the Jackdaw field, which lies 150 miles east of Aberdeen.

The environmental charity believes that in granting consent, the UK government failed to consider emissions from burning the gas.

The UK government would not comment on legal proceedings but said Jackdaw would boost domestic gas supply. read more

THE TIMES

Netherlands ruling links climate change, human rights — and corporations

There is debate over whether the arguments apply in this country, but the UK Supreme Court has recently been indulgent of novel negligence claims

A judge in The Netherlands ruled last year that Royal Dutch Shell owed Dutch residents a duty of care to reduce its carbon emissions — and the international energy company was ordered to reduce CO₂ emissions by 45 per cent, relative to 2019 levels, by the end of 2030. read more

OILPRICE.COM

What Is Shell Doing On TikTok?

By Felicity Bradstock – Jul 18, 2022, 4:00 PM CDT

• Gen Z will be a vital piece of the global workforce moving forward, and Big Oil is no exception. 
• Oil and gas firms are now doing everything they can to secure the next generation of talent.
• Shell is even taking to TikTok to appeal to the younger, more climate-aware audience.

Oil and gas firms are increasingly realizing the importance of appealing to the Gen Z population, particularly as their voices on social media and other public forums are influencing the climate change response and national energy agendas. With more pressure than ever to transition away from fossil fuels to renewable alternatives, oil and gas firms may rely on this young generation for their survival in the coming decades. read more

Shell to install 79 EV charging points at Canadian retail stations by end of year

CALGARY — Shell Canada has announced plans to significantly expand its electric vehicle charging network across the country.

The energy company said Wednesday it will install 79 Shell Recharge fast charging points at 37 Shell retail stations across Canada, along major corridors from B.C. to Ontario, by the end of this year.

Currently, Shell Canada has just 25 charging locations in this country, but parent company Royal Dutch Shell plc is investing heavily in EV infrastructure around the globe as part of its goal to reach net-zero emissions status by 2050. read more

REUTERS

Shell invests $38 million in carbon credit projects in Brazil

Mon, 11 July 2022, 9:02 am·

By Rafaella Barros

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Shell said on Monday it has invested 200 million reais ($38.07 million) into a Brazilian preservation-focused company.

Carbon credit developer Carbonext runs preservation projects across more than 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres) of the Amazon Forest that are owned by companies seeking to capitalize on the carbon market.

Carbonext then generates carbon credits that can be sold. Shell will now have preferential access to the company’s carbon market, although will not receive discounted prices.

“Associating our company with Carbonext is an important step towards our goal of offsetting 120 million tonnes of CO2 a year by 2030,” Andre Araujo, Shell Brasil’s president said in a note, with the company also backing a global initiative to hit net zero in emissions by 2050. read more

Shell to start building Europe’s largest renewable hydrogen plant

Shell Nederland B.V. and Shell Overseas Investments B.V., subsidiaries of Shell plc, have taken the final investment decision to build Holland Hydrogen I, which will be Europe’s largest renewable hydrogen plant once operational in 2025.

WEBWIRE – Friday, July 8, 2022

The 200MW electrolyser will be constructed on the Tweede Maasvlakte in the port of Rotterdam and will produce up to 60,000 kilograms of renewable hydrogen per day. read more

THE TIMES

Shell’s supersize hydrogen plant sparks hope of green revolution

Emily Gosden: Energy Editor: Thursday July 07 2022

Shell has begun building Europe’s largest “green” hydrogen plant that will use electricity from an offshore wind farm to produce the clean-burning fuel.

The oil and gas group said it had taken the final investment decision on the 200 megawatt electrolyser in the port of Rotterdam and expected the plant to start operating in 2025.

Shell said the capacity of the plant was equivalent to roughly two thirds of all electrolyser capacity in operation globally today. The new facility will use electricity from the Hollandse Kust (Noord) offshore wind farm that Shell is jointly building about ten nautical miles off the coast of the Netherlands. read more