Shell, Simply Blue Energy in joint venture for offshore wind project

Floating turbines off south coast will supply power for up to 800,000 homes

Kevin O’Sullivan Environment & Science Editor: 27 JAN 2021

Shell has signed an agreement with Irish marine renewables developer Simply Blue Energy to acquire a 51 per cent share in a floating wind farm to be built off the south coast.

The joint venture will produce up to 1 gigawatt of power when fully operational – equivalent to Ireland’s largest generating station at Moneypoint in Co Clare, and capable of powering 800,000 homes.

“This partnership combines the floating wind track record and local knowledge of Simply Blue Energy with Shell’s offshore experience, floating wind expertise and ability to develop large complex projects,” Simply Blue chief executive Sam Roch-Perks said. read more

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

Allseas Litigation: Top lawyer Mike Stubbs accused of relaying offer of £1m ‘bribe’ to police, say court transcripts

By John Donovan

Shell contractor, Allseas, is a key player in a continuing story of mystery and intrigue surrounding criminal court proceedings.

Top lawyer Mike Stubbs acted for Allseas at the time when, according to court transcripts, he allegedly relayed a £1m bribe offer to UK police detectives.

Victims of £73 m fraud

In 2011, Allseas invested £73 million with investors led by a conman claiming to have links to the Vatican and Spanish nobility. More information can be found in articles such as the June 2018 FT story: “The ship tycoon, the con men and a €100m scam”. read more

EXCLUSIVE: CORRIB GAS CONTRACTORS TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 04, 2020

Three UK-based contractors who travelled to Ireland to work at the Corrib Gas terminal in north Mayo have tested positive for Covid-19.

Vermilion Exploration & Production Ireland Limited, which operates the Corrib gas field, has confirmed the positive case results this afternoon.

The individuals, all of whom were asymptomatic were tested on the same day they arrived in Ireland and restricted their movements while awaiting results, said Vermilion. One of the positive cases was returned on Tuesday and two were confirmed today. read more

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2020

Shell E&P purges contempt in Erris land proceedings

Shell E&P Ireland – the former operator of the Corrib Gas project – has been deemed to have purged its contempt of a district court order.

Civil proceedings initiated by Monica Muller, Rossport South, North Mayo against Shell E&P Ire­ land Ltd. Corrib House. 52 Lower Leeson St. Dublin 2 were concluded in Ballina District Court last Fri­day when Judge Fiona Lydon found, in accordance with a Su­preme Court ruling, that the de­fendant company had been in contempt of a court order when it entered commonage lands at Ros­sport and Muingnabo without notification in 2007 and 2008. read more

Directors of an Irish subcontractor, OSSL, testified under oath in an Irish court that OSSL distributed bribes on behalf of Shell, including over €30k in free alcohol to the Irish police. The purpose of the corruption was to smooth the path of the controversial Corrib Gas Project, which had attracted huge public protests in Ireland.

For more information read the Observer/Guardian article: “Strange tale of Shell’s pipeline battle, the Gardaí and £30,000 of booze.”

Published by John Donovan of royaldutchshellplc.com read more

Reading between the lines, Dublin’s own assessment is that the outcome from a no-deal Brexit could actually bring about what they fear most – the return of a hard border.

Irish backstop farce engineered by Irish PM Leo Varadkar and his deputy Simon Coveney (above)

By John Donovan

The duo representing Ireland in the Brexit negotiations have consistently insisted on the need for a backstop in the EU/UK Brexit withdrawal agreement to prevent any return to a hard border between the UK and the Irish Republic.

Irish PM Leo Varadkar and his deputy Simon Coveney have persuaded all other remaining EU member countries to insist on the inclusion of a backstop in any Brexit withdrawal agreement.

Britain has consistently stated that there will be no return on its account to a hard border.

Although the backstop issue is the main block to the withdrawal agreement being approved by the UK Parliament, the Irish have continued to insist on a cast iron backstop mechanism with no time limit.

It is only in recent days that alarm bells have started to ring in Dublin and elsewhere about how the EU intransigent on the backstop could spectacularly backfire. Matters that Coveney would prefer to keep secret have begun to seep out.

Extract from Irish Times Article

…when Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told the daily press briefing in Brussels yesterday that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, “you will have a hard border” in Ireland, alarm bells sounded in Dublin.

Extract from The Guardian

The warning came a day after Irish police chiefs denied they had drawn up secret plans to send 600 officers to beef up border security if Britain crashes out of the EU on 29 March without an agreement.

Extracts end

Varadkar is now nervously warning about the prospect of British police and army checkpoints reappearing on the border in the event of a no-deal scenario.

Varadkar warns of army checkpoints on border after a no-deal Brexit

Chaotic Brexit could see uniformed border police, says Irish PM

Brexit: Soldiers may return to Irish Border, Varadkar warns

Reading between the lines, Dublin’s own assessment is that the outcome from a no-deal Brexit could actually bring about what they fear most – the return of a hard border.

This time with a mostly hostile population on the UK side of the border pissed off by Irish government unhelpful mischief in the exploitation of Brexit. How would that help those who dream of a United Ireland?

Varaskar has made plain his disdain for the democratic Brexit referendum vote and is trying to thwart the outcome. A reckless gamble that could indeed backfire badly, irrespective of the nationality of police or soldiers on the border.

If it ends up with forces in place on either side of the border, who knows what might happen, bearing in mind that terrorists could deliberately create an incident that could ignite a war. A potentially very dangerous scenario that could happen.

MORE RELATED INFORMATION

Extract from “Hundreds of gardai to patrol border in Ireland if UK crashes out of EU“

Hundreds of gardai to patrol border in Ireland if UK crashes out of EU“Abandoned from across the Channel and from across the Atlantic by the two great allies who in the previous century saved it twice from suicide; vulnerable to the increasingly overt manipulations of the master of the Kremlin, Europe as an idea, as will and representation, is coming apart before our eyes,”

EXTRACTS FROM RELATED ARTICLES

Europe ‘coming apart before our eyes’, say 30 top intellectuals

“Abandoned from across the Channel and from across the Atlantic by the two great allies who in the previous century saved it twice from suicide; vulnerable to the increasingly overt manipulations of the master of the Kremlin, Europe as an idea, as will and representation, is coming apart before our eyes,”

The backstop has backfired

• The EU’s unacceptable insurance policy could bring about the very hard border it was designed to prevent

•  The EU is risking no deal to defend a backstop designed to ensure free trade on the island of Ireland

•  Barnier and Varadkar risk being caught in their own Irish border trap

Newton Emerson: The backstop has completely backfired for Ireland

Provision has poisoned relations and muddied understanding of Belfast Agreement

The backstop strategy is in danger of backfiring 

BREXIT BACKFIRE: Dublin’s border gamble could end in DISASTER admits Irish professor

Emotions running high in Ireland as Brexit stirs up horrific and not-so-distant memories

Fighting between the two was only brought to a halt in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement, which drew to a close a disturbing modern period of ethno-nationalist warfare known as The Troubles.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal — which almost cost her leadership this week — is so controversial among Brexit supporters in the UK specifically because it avoids the reintroduction of a so-called “hard” Irish border, which many fear would stir up violence.

Sunday Times article 27 Jan 2019: Bombers vow to exploit troubles over Irish border and backstop

Extract: Republicans are gearing up for violence as a key part of the EU deal threatens to bring about the outcome it was meant to prevent

**********************************************************

Irish TV: Tonight Show: “This BS backstop has backfired in our face” -Hermann Kelly on Anglo-Irish relations over Brexit

The Irish Times 5 March 2019: Taoiseach denies more gardaí being sent to border region due to Brexit

Extracts

Mr Varadkar was responding to a number of Opposition TDs reacting to an Irish Independent report about armed units being sent to the border in anticipation of the fallout from a hard Brexit.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin asked why Ireland was “the only EU member that has not said what will happen on its borders in a no-deal scenario”, while it was reported that armed units were being sent to the border in anticipation of a no-deal Brexit. read more

By Dominic Walsh

Ben van Beurden has marked five years as chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell by giving a “wide-ranging interview” on climate change, his leadership style and “Shell’s biggest financial transformation” — an interview given to, erm, Royal Dutch Shell’s website. But rest assured, the oil group’s in-house journalists weren’t letting their boss off lightly. The transcript published yesterday features such hard-hitting questions as: “Who do you turn to for advice and support?” (answer: his wife, Stacey); “What are you most proud of when you look back at 2018?”; and “Why is trust so important for Shell?” A real zinger, that one.

SOURCE

Shell buys out Total’s 26% stake in Hazira LNG and Port

By Rachita Prasad: ET Bureau: Updated: Jan 09, 2019, 03.01 PM IST Royal Dutch Shell has completed the acquisition of Gujarat-based Hazira LNG and Port Ventures from French energy major Total Gaz Electricité Holdings, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Shell Gas, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, acquired 26% equity interest in the Hazira LNG and Port from Total, to complete the acquisition. We did not disclose the financial consideration for the deal.

“The move allows Shell to build an integrated gas value chain: supply from its global LNG portfolio, regasification at the Hazira facility, and downstream customer sales. It further enables Shell to contribute towards India’s long-term need for more and cleaner energy solutions,” Shell said in the statement. read more

Royal Dutch Shell will set carbon emissions targets next year and link these to executive pay, reversing its chief executive’s opposition and following intense pressure from shareholders who want fossil fuel companies to take greater responsibility for their contribution to global warming. FULL FT ARTICLE

The deal resulted in Shell taking a sizeable financial hit as a consequence…

Want to read more?

FULL ARTICLE

Malcolm Brinded, standing trial for Corruption in Italy over Nigerian OPL 245 oil deal, a key figure in many Shell scandals, including the tragic deaths on Brent Bravo.

EMAIL TO ALL MP’s: ON 1st OCT, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL CEO BEN VAN BEURDEN HAD ADVANCE SIGHT OF THE TOXIC FACTS SET OUT HEREIN. NO LEGAL ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN TO STOP YOU SEEING THIS. 

Although I am not one of your constituents, I hope you agree that the safety of UK offshore workers is a matter of importance to ALL MP’s. Some unfortunate Royal Dutch Shell workers have already lost their lives. More lives are at stake. Please at least glance through the information below, which includes my name and address. 

SHELL NORTH SEA PLATFORM WORKER DEATHS DESERVING A FULLY INFORMED PUBLIC INQUIRY

Just how bad does has a company have to be before the Church of England withdraws investment on ethical grounds?

You may have seen the email I recently sent to over around 1,000 parliamentarians, including senior clergy and the former Scottish Energy Minister Baroness Liddell, who, as you will see, has a Shell connection. The email was about the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Church of England’s significant investment in Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

Many thanks for all the responses received.

I would like to bring to your attention just one of the many scandals rattling around in Shell’s corporate cupboard. read more

From: John Donovan
Subject: Next Email to Parliamentarians
Date: 1 October 2018 at 21:00:35 BST
To: gary.thomson@shell.com
Cc: “ben.vanbeurden@shell.com” <ben.vanbeurden@shell.com>, William Campbell

Dear Mr Thomson

Printed below is a draft of my next email to Parliamentarians. Usual invitation: Shell is welcome to point out for rectification any inaccurate information. Shell is also invited to provide comment for unedited inclusion alongside the article in a prominent form. If I receive no response by Wednesday noon I will assume Shell does not wish to take up these invitations. More time will happily be given for Shell to provide any such substantive response if so requested before the deadline. Accuracy of stated facts is far more important than any rush to publication. I am sure Mr. Campbell will let me know if he spots any error in regard to matters known by him. If Shell does not want to have advance sight of future such emails, then please advise accordingly and I will comply with that request. Yours sincerely John Donovan

DRAFT

EMAIL TO ALL MP’s AND PROMINENT MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: ROYAL DUTCH SHELL LAWYERS HAVE HAD ADVANCE SIGHT OF WHAT YOU ARE HOPEFULLY ABOUT TO READ.

SHELL NORTH SEA PLATFORM WORKER DEATHS DESERVING A PUBLIC INQUIRY

Just how bad does has a company have to be before the Church of England withdraws investment on ethical grounds?

You may have seen the email I recently sent to over around 1,000 parliamentarians, including senior clergy and the former Scottish Energy Minister Baroness Liddell, who has a Shell connection. The email was about the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Church of England’s significant investment in Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

Many thanks for all the responses received.

Today I would like to bring to your attention just one of the many scandals rattling around in Shell’s corporate cupboard. read more

Seán McCárthaigh: August 2, 2018

The release of odourless gas into the national network last September, meaning 10,000 homes had to go without gas for days, was due to poor operating procedures at the Corrib gas refinery in Co Mayo. A report by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) concluded that the emergency on September 21, 2017, was due to a technical failure at the Shell E&P Ireland terminal at Bellanaboy. The CRU said it had followed up its findings with enforcement actions against both Shell and Gas Networks Ireland (GNI), which operates the national gas network. As gas has no smell, odourant is added by Shell at its Bellanaboy facility so that people can identify any leaks. The investigation found that the company’s operating procedures did not allow… Continue reading article read more

Extracts from the ebook “John Donovan, Shell’s Nightmare” (now available on Amazon websites globally)

Extract from page 147.

I publish articles on my website penned by me and authored by Shell insiders and former Shell employees.

A brief selection:

Roll call of Shell toxic brands deadly to insects, crop pests AND humans: 20 August 2010

Shell Corrib employee group leaking information to website: 6 August 2010

Adventures in Shell ‘Matulaland’: 11 June 2010

DATA SECURITY BREACH AT SHELL PUTS ITS EMPLOYEES AT RISK: 4 February 2010

Shell’s North Sea history of safety violations, blackmail and blacklisting: 28 January 2010

SEX, DRUGS & CORRUPTION SPONSORED BY SHELL

News headlines file for Royal Dutch Shell Sex and Drugs Scandal: 27 May 2009

Royal Dutch Shell Fat Cat Malcolm Brinded: Big Brain but no scruples: 28 May 2009 read more

Extracts from the ebook “John Donovan, Shell’s Nightmare” (now available on Amazon websites globally)

The extract below makes a reference to “Mr Hoots”, an American associated with the U.S. Intelligence community who became involved in the Shell/Donovan litigation, while falsely claiming to be on a journalistic assignment on behalf of Business Week magazine. It seemed obvious from his extensive activities on the case that an unknown party with very deep pockets was funding his false flag mission.

Extracts from pages 108 & 109

Mr. Hoots came to the UK specifically to gather information about my case against Shell and incurred substantial costs. He never approached Shell to find out their side of the story, only my solicitor, my witnesses and me. He never published an article. He used false pretences when speaking to all of us and gained access to an array of documents. I later found out that his modus operandi was entirely in keeping with the common method of operation by undercover agents engaged in corporate espionage. read more

Mary Carolan: 13 FEB 2018

A campaigner against the Corrib gas project in Co Mayo has urged the High Court to quash a ministerial consent for a pipeline bringing gas to a refinery at Ballinaboy.

From the time of her first submission in May 2001 to Mayo County Council concerning the project, and despite not being able to argue every facet of what later took place, “I knew what was at stake”, Maura Harrington said.

She had recognised, from “day one”, the entire project was “a land, sea and air attack on the place that is Erris”. read more

Shell to Sea spokesperson Maura Harrington with Garda Officers

A Judicial Review of then Minister Alex White’s decision to grant consent to Shell, 29 December 2015, to operate the Corrib Gas pipeline begins in the High Court on Tuesday, 13 February. The hearing is scheduled to last for four days. Shell to Sea spokesperson Maura Harrington is the sole Applicant in the hearing and is representing herself as a lay litigant. The application is contested by the State as Respondents and Shell as Notice Party in the proceedings.

On 31 December 2015 there was an uncontrolled flaring event at the Corrib Gas installation which resulted in Shell being successfully prosecuted by the EPA.

This release is for information purposes only and Shell to Sea will not be making any further comment other than to quote from their press release following Minister White’s grant of consent where Ms Harrington is quoted as saying ‘The Judicial Review of Alex White’s decision should prove interesting’.

ENDS

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http://twitter.com/#!/ShellToSea

The Shell to Sea Campaign has three main aims:
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