The Telegraph

Ukraine urges Johnson to ensure ‘not a drop’ of Russian oil reaches the UK

Shell, one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, has pledged to withdraw from Russian oil products, but…

By Rachel Millard: 24 April 2022 • 6:46pm

Ukraine’s government has urged the UK to ensure “not a single drop of Russian oil enters the country”, as it pushed for a “total and immediate” boycott on Russian fossil fuels.

Oleg Ustenko, economic adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said it was “no time for half measures”. It comes amid concerns Britain may adopt a definition of Russian oil that allows some Kremlin supplies into the country, even under the impending embargo. read more

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

NAM to be broken up and sold off, as Dutch gas production ends

October 27, 2021

The Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) set up in 1947 by Shell and Esso, is being dismantled, ending 75 years of Dutch gas extraction

The company, which is now 50% owned by Shell and 50% by ExxonMobil, is being chopped into four separate limited companies which will be sold off, including all its Dutch oil and gas interests, apart from the Groningen field which is being wound down.

The Groningen field, which has generated hundreds of billions of euros for the treasury, will close next year and the other fields, on both land and sea, are being sold off – probably to foreign investors. read more

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

10 Sept 2021

Beware of Shell Energy’s costly renewal ploy.

Shell Energy cannot be trusted!

When they notified me that renewal was due they provided a quote for the best tariff. But when I renewed the rates had been adjusted upwards, i.e. were not the same as they quoted. When they confirmed my intention to renew with them they did not advise what the new tariff rates would be, it was only because I telephoned them that I knew the rates had suddenly been increased. read more

OPL 245: Eni, Shell must face corruption charges in Nigeria, CSOs tell FG 

A coalition of civil society organisations has urged the federal government to press corruption charges against Eni, Shell, and other defendants involved in the OPL 245 deal.

This comes after an Italian court acquitted Shell, Eni and other defendants of corruption charges in the OPL 245 deal.

In a letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, the CSOs said there would be no risk of double jeopardy due to the differences between legal systems in Italy and Nigeria. read more

“Two middlemen have already been found guilty for their role in this deal in a separate trial. A criminal trial of Shell and Eni’s Nigerian subsidiaries is ongoing in Nigeria while they also face an investigation in The Netherlands where Shell has said they expect to face criminal charges. Today’s verdict does not mark the final word in this scandal for Shell and Eni.”

Shell and Eni verdict: Not the final word on this scandal

NGOs and activists are today disappointed and outraged as Shell and Eni – two of the worlds biggest polluters – were found not guilty of corruption relating to the purchase of a Nigerian oilfield, in a Milan trial. Global Witness urges the prosecution to consider all options to appeal this verdict and continues to follow ongoing criminal investigations into the case in Nigeria and the Netherlands. read more

“Two middlemen have already been found guilty for their role in this deal in a separate trial. A criminal trial of Shell and Eni’s Nigerian subsidiaries is ongoing in Nigeria while they also face an investigation in The Netherlands where Shell has said they expect to face criminal charges. Today’s verdict does not mark the final word in this scandal for Shell and Eni.”

Malabu Scandal: Acquittal of Shell, Eni ‘stain on Italy’ — Anti-corruption campaigners

Environmental and social justice groups on Wednesday condemned Italy’s anti-corruption laws as “unfit for purpose”. read more

Eni and Shell Acquitted of Nigeria Bribery Charges in Milan

Alberto Brambilla, Laura Hurst: Mar 17 2021, 9:24 PM Mar 18 2021, 4:43 AM

(Bloomberg) — Eni SpA, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and several of their current and former executives were acquitted of corruption charges related to a Nigerian oil deal by a court in Milan.

The verdict ends a three-year legal saga that loomed large over the tenure of Eni Chief Executive Officer Claudio Descalzi, who was among those found not guilty on Wednesday. Italian prosecutors had sought an eight-year jail term for him. read more

OPL 245 LITIGATION: POLLUTING THE PROCESS

The powerful Italian energy giant Eni is leading lobbying efforts in Europe, pushing for the EU to support climate-wrecking fossil gas – all whilst on the stand in the corporate corruption trial of the decade.

We can also reveal new details surrounding the “OPL 245” trial, in which both Eni and Shell are accused of involvement in a vast bribery scheme that saw hundreds of millions of dollars funnelled to Nigerian politicians.

Key findings

Our new report finds that Eni’s CEO, who is also personally on trial and facing up to eight years in prison, was granted high level access to lobby the EU’s Energy Commissioner as recently as June 2020. read more

EU officials met Italy energy CEO despite corruption trial

By ELENA SÁNCHEZ NICOLÁS: BRUSSELS

15 March 2021

The CEO of Italian energy giant Eni, Claudio Descalzi, was granted access to EU commissioners and officials to push the case for gas in the bloc’s energy transition – whilst allegedly involved in a billion-dollar corruption scandal, according to a report by Global Witness on Monday (15 March).

Descalzi is on trial in Italy, alongside his company Eni plus Royal Dutch Shell, for their roles in the $1.1bn (€921m) purchase of a Nigerian offshore oil field (called OPL 245) in 2011. read more

Some extracts from current customer comments posted on Trustpilot: “Got a debt collecting company to chase me for money 9 days before the bill was due and 10 days after I gave the reading. Half an hour wait to be told – oops”: “If I could give them 0 I would. Horrendous customer service…”: “WHY ARE YOU SUCH A BUNCH OF LYING, CONNIVING, MIS-SELLING PARASITES?”

Featured below are extracts from negative customer reviews about Shell Energy posted over the past few days on Trustpilot. Visit the Shell Energy page on Trustpilot to view all reviews in their entirety, positive and negative (and Shell Energy responses). Watch out for any fake reviews. Note the reoccurring themes in the negative reviews, including difficulty in communicating with the company. This article posted on 25 JAN 2021. read more

OPL245 Scandal: Coalition urges World Bank group not to protect oil giants

…prosecutions relating to the OPL 245 deal are live in two jurisdictions (Nigeria and Italy); Investigations are also live in The Netherlands, where the prosecutors have told Royal Dutch Shell, which was also a party to the deal that they have sufficient evidence to prosecute. 

A World Bank affiliated group may scuttle Nigeria’s bid to successfully prosecute illicit funds associated with the controversial OPL 245, a coalition of international anti-corruption groups has said. read more

Analysis: Will Nigeria yield in oil deal wrestling bout with Shell and Eni?

By Lionel Faull: 27 October 2020

High profile courtroom dramas involving multiple sides often have the feel of a WWE Smackdown wrestling match: titanic egos clashing with each other, trying to batter their foes into submission. The fighters forge alliances, and the argy-bargy can sometimes spill out of the ring and break out elsewhere in the auditorium.

An epic international corruption trial that is now drawing to a close under the glamourous lights of Milan is a case in point. read more

By John Donovan

In the recent article (below”) about the OPL 245 corruption scandal, published under the translated headline “Eni-Nigeria trial, Prosecutor requests 8 Years sentence for Descalzi,” reference is made to “an axis of spies that runs through this story.”

It mentions the involvement of Shell’s MI6 hires responsible for generating the incriminating emails found in the raid and search of Shell’s HQ that has done so much damage to Shell’s reputation. read more

Anti-graft groups query Nigerian Justice Minister on OPL 245 assets recovery

27 July 2020: Henry Uche

Nigeria’s Minister of Minister and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has been asked to give full disclosure of recovered assets linked to the OPL multi-billion dollar oil scam.

In a statement delivered by the Chairman of Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) Mr Olanrewaju Suraj, the charge came after the Corner House, Global Witness, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) and Re-Common, launched a global campaign through a letter to the AGF Malami for transparency in the assets recovered from the scam. In the petition, the groups raised 25 critical questions for Malami. read more