Oil and gas companies are hurtling toward bankruptcy, raising fears that wells will be left leaking planet-warming pollutants, with cleanup cost left to taxpayers.

Extracts from an article by Hiroko Tabuchi: July 12, 2020

Oil and gas companies in the United States are hurtling toward bankruptcy at a pace not seen in years, driven under by a global price war and a pandemic that has slashed demand. And in the wake of this economic carnage is a potential environmental disaster — unprofitable wells that will be abandoned or left untended, even as they continue leaking planet-warming pollutants, and a costly bill for taxpayers to clean it all up. read more

At a time when the oil industry is gripped by fears that demand for petrol will collapse in an era of electric vehicles, many hydrocarbon producers are betting on petrochemicals — and in particular, plastics — to fill the gap.

Michael Pooler in Paris: 12 Feb 2020

Along the banks of the Ohio River in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, giant cranes whir overhead as thousands of construction workers toil away at what will be one of the largest plastic factories in the world.

The multibillion dollar Royal Dutch Shell plant, on the site of an old zinc smelter in the American rust-belt, is the biggest investment in the state since the second world war…

At a time when the oil industry is gripped by fears that demand for petrol will collapse in an era of electric vehicles, many hydrocarbon producers are betting on petrochemicals — and in particular, plastics — to fill the gap. But doubts are emerging about the wisdom of a huge expansion in capacity that will leave the world awash in products that can take hundreds of years to decay. read more

SHELL TO BE A BIG PLAYER IN MICROPLASTICS

By John Donovan

The timing of President Trump’s delayed visit to Shell’s new Pennsylvania Petrochemicals Complex, which will produce more than a million tons of plastic in the form of tiny pellets, turned out to be unfortunate.

It happened to coincide with the release of scientific research and evidence about the unknown consequences of airborne microplastics on the heath of “birds, fish, whales and people”.

Please read the extracts below from various news organisations covering the Trump visit, which inevitably was surrounded by controversy and scandal. read more

The government decided to cut production after residents blamed hydraulic fracturing for damage to buildings in the area. It was decided earlier to schedule the field’s closing for 2030 while progressively reducing production, after a 3.4 magnitude earthquake occurred near the field last year. The field is operated by Nam, a joint venture established by oil supermajors Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil.

July 5, 2019

Dutch advisory body Council of State’s Administrative Jurisdiction Division (Adj) Wednesday requested from the government further explanation for the closing of a major onshore field, Kallanish Energy learns.

The Groningen field is the largest in Europe. The government decided to cut production after residents blamed hydraulic fracturing for damage to buildings in the area.

It was decided earlier to schedule the field’s closing for 2030 while progressively reducing production, after a 3.4 magnitude earthquake occurred near the field last year. read more

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

A pump jack in a Permian Basin oil field in West Texas. The area has been a focus of the shale drilling boom. Credit Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America

By CLIFFORD KRAUSS: JAN. 28, 2018

HOUSTON — A substantial rise in oil prices in recent months has led to a resurgence in American oil production, enabling the country to challenge the dominance of Saudi Arabia and dampen price pressures at the pump. The success has come in the face of efforts by Saudi Arabia and its oil allies to undercut the shale drilling spree in the United States. Those strategies backfired and ultimately ended up benefiting the oil industry. Overcoming three years of slumping prices proved the resiliency of the shale boom. Energy companies and their financial backers were able to weather market turmoil — and the maneuvers of the global oil cartel — by adjusting exploration and extraction techniques. FULL ARTICLE read more

PETER SMITH

An umbrella group for 140 Presbyterian churches in Allegheny County is calling for a halt to the construction of a sprawling petrochemical plant in neighboring Beaver County, saying it would worsen already high levels of pollution and cancer risk in Southwestern Pennsylvania. 

“We are part of a faith tradition that has affirmed our responsibility to care for the earth as our home and care for all people, especially our most vulnerable populations,” says a letter signed by officials of the Pittsburgh Presbytery, representing more than 28,000 members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Allegheny County.

“This plant, and subsequent plants that are planned for the Ohio Valley, will be mass producing plastic products that have been linked to the death of animals and the diminishment of fragile natural habitats,” said the letter, approved by presbytery representatives at their December meeting. read more

Printed below is an English translation of an article published by the Dutch equivalent of the Financial Times, Financieele Dagblad under the headline “Shell is fully committed to oil and gas from shale“.

By Bert van Dijk • Energy Editor

Shale gas and shale oil may then have a negative sound in Europe and hardly play a role, governments in the US, Canada, China and Argentina do see a lot of it. Shell hopes to benefit from this favorable investment climate in the coming years, especially now that the company has drastically reduced the costs of extracting shale gas and oil in recent years. read more

South Africa’s government said in May it might award its first shale gas exploration licences by the end of September, after environmental objections delayed the process. Royal Dutch Shell, Falcon Oil and Gas and Bundu Gas & Oil are among five firms whose applications were being reviewed by the regulator. FULL ARTICLE

Embarrassingly for Shell, as the New York Times has reported this morning, I have a leaked copy of an 88 page Shell internal document setting out proposals for Shell’s global plans generally and in particular for the Netherlands, where several hundred more jobs are going to disappear. Part of a world-wide jobs upheaval at Shell. 

A few days ago, CEO Ben van Beurden, mindful of the prospect of a falling oil price, claimed that Shell “is getting fit for the $40s.” Now we have a detailed insight about the scope of proposed transformational change at Shell deemed essential to achieving that objective. Embarrassingly for Shell, as the New York Times has reported this morning, I have a leaked copy of an 88 page Shell internal document setting out proposals for Shell’s global plans generally and in particular for the Netherlands, where several hundred more jobs are going to disappear. read more

Shale oil declines 35-50% per year. You need to keep drilling faster and faster until you go bust…..

And when the costs are high and returns are marginal, corners will be cut and other problems start. Polluted aquifers, operators going bust so who will clean up the mess?

US shale oil will keep prices low – will it ??

Give this 5 mins – it’s fun.

Excellent website link below, with great interactive charts on how the shale wells in US are doing.

These were supposed to keep the oil price low remember? read more

Summary

• The myth of a secure price range for OPEC in its battle against shale.
• Why OPEC has painted itself into a corner, forcing it to extend lower output.
• What’s far more important than OPEC and others’ cuts.
• Cuts or not – low-cost shale producers like Shell will produce at a profit.

FULL ARTICLE

From a regular contributor

NAM has been found responsible for immaterial damage to the inhabitants of Groningen in court 2 days ago. NAM is appealing. Individuals can now claim damages to their health, due to stress caused by the earthquakes. I don’t know the exact English translation of this jargon but you get the point, NAM not only has to pay for the physical damage but also for spoiling the lives of people. 

Be prepared for many years of legal battles. The damages are very low compared to the USA but there are many people who can claim. Potential costs can be very high. Obviously, it is the shysters who will get the bulk of the money! And all the time there is pressure to reduce output from the Groningen field. read more

Written by Niamh Burns – 26/10/2016 7:35 am

An energy contractor working at a Shell Canada site has been killed in an accident, according to reports.

The 47-year-old was fatally injured in the workplace incident near Fox Creek, Alberta, on Sunday.

He was an employee of Secure Energy Services and was working at the Shell Canada site 260km northeast of Edmonton.

It’s understood the man had been struck by a hose.

An Occupational Health and Safety spokeswoman said: “The work site was situated by the side of a river and the workers were pumping water to a different location for wellsite activities. read more

Officials made the comments during a parliamentary hearing with Shell and ExxonMobil executives after being challenged by GroenLinks MP Liesbeth van Tongeren, broadcaster NOS reported.

‘We acknowledge that the people of Groningen are dealing with most of the problems caused by gas extraction, which we in the Netherlands can thank for our prosperity,’ Shell Nederland president Marjan van Loon said.

‘That is why the people of Groningen deserve our support. The NAM has expressed its regrets and I can fully support that. So I can say too, “I’m sorry, sorry”.’ read more