Posts under ‘Litigation’

REUTERS

Shell says its Nigeria asset sale not affected by court ruling

ABUJA, June 21 (Reuters) – Shell Plc (SHEL.L) has said its planned sale of onshore assets in Nigeria will go ahead and was not affected by a Supreme Court ruling in a case in which a Niger Delta community is seeking compensation for a 2019 oil spill.

Bamidele Odugbesan, spokesman for Shell in Nigeria, said the June 16 Supreme Court ruling was in response to an appeal launched by Shell against a contempt ruling linked to the dispute with the Niger Delta community.

The lawyer for the community said the ruling, which was made public on Monday, barred Shell from disposing its assets as ordered by a lower court in March.

“The Supreme Court ruling on 16 June was with respect to the contempt proceedings and not related to (the) onshore portfolio review,” Odugbesan said.

Shell has invited bids for its onshore assets. Odugbesan did not say how many bids had been received.

Eighty-eight communities in Rivers state were awarded $1.95 billion compensation for an oil spill they blamed on Shell and which damaged their farms and waterways. Shell denies causing the spill. read more read more

REUTERS

JPMorgan wins London oil trial in which Nigeria sought $1.7 bln

By Sinead Cruise and Estelle Shirbon: June 14, 2022

LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) – JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) has won a London High Court battle against Nigeria, which was seeking $1.7 billion in damages over the U.S. bank’s role in a disputed 2011 oilfield deal.

JPMorgan said the judgment reflected its commitment to acting with high professional standards everywhere it operates, while Nigeria said it was disappointed and would review the judgment carefully before considering its next steps. read more

AP NEWS

South Africa court to rule on Shell offshore oil exploration

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African court is to rule on efforts to stop British oil giant Shell from conducting any further seismic surveys in the country’s Indian Ocean waters to explore for offshore oil and gas deposits.

Environmental and community groups in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province won an urgent interdict to stop the surveys in December last year and are now asking the court to permanently halt the operations. read more

DAILY MAIL

New gas field in North Sea finally given thumbs up by regulators in move Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng claims will ‘protect energy security’

By LUCY WHITE AND COLIN FERNANDEZ FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 22:36, 1 June 2022 | UPDATED: 22:46, 1 June 2022

A new gas field in the North Sea has finally been given the thumbs up by regulators in a move Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng claimed will ‘protect energy security’.

The Jackdaw field, east of Aberdeen, is owned by Shell and was originally licensed in 1970.

Last year the Government refused permission to develop it amid opposition from green activists who were pressuring ministers to reduce Britain’s reliance on fossil fuels.

But that decision was called into question following Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, which has caused gas prices to soar as countries shun supplies from the Kremlin. read more

DAILY MAVERICK

Judgment reserved in case against Shell’s seismic survey along the Wild Coast

By Tembile Sgqolana: 31 May 2022

The second day of the three-day court case between Shell, Impact Africa and environmental activists kicked off at the Gqeberha High Court on Tuesday following arguments from advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC and advocate Nick Ferreira on Monday.

The judges adjourned the matter, reserving judgment in both granting the joinder application put forward by Natural Justice and Greenpeace Africa (represented by the environmental law firm Cullinan & Associates) and the declarator that Shell required an environmental authorisation under the National Environmental Management Act (Nema), and if their exploration rights had been lawfully awarded by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).

On Monday, Judge President Selby Mbenenge, Deputy Judge President Zamani Nhlangulela and Judge Thandi Norman heard the merits of the joinder application.

On Tuesday, Jeremy Gauntlett SC, representing Impact Africa, argued against the joinder application sought by Natural Justice and Greenpeace Africa, saying the two organisations added nothing new to the case and had decided to attach themselves like a “cuckoo in a nest”.

During the second day, Gauntlett argued that the applicants were using a legal “knobkerrie” via interdict to undermine Minister Gwede Mantashe’s  authority to decide the matter, laying blame on imperfect legislation rather than the decision-maker. read more

The Guardian

The village that stood up to big oil – and won

The fossil fuel industry faces a reckoning in the Niger Delta after a disaster left families ‘eating, drinking, breathing the oil’

Wednesday 1 June 2022

Today, the oil industry in Nigeria faces a reckoning with Shell at the helm. According to Amnesty International, the oil company has come under “unprecedented legal scrutiny” in recent years for its negligent and criminal practices in the Niger Delta. Several lawsuits are ongoing while others have culminated in courts ordering Shell to pay plaintiffs billions of dollars in damages. The mounting pressure has Shell considering a rapid departure from the region’s oil market. In early August 2021, the company announced it would sell off all remaining onshore oilfields in Nigeria, citing challenges with community unrest, sabotage and a company-wide refocus on promoting green energy. But locals and lawyers see the move as Shell ducking its responsibility to clean up after itself. A court in March barred Shell from selling any more assets in Nigeria while the company appeals against a ruling in which it was found liable for a 2019 oil spill and ordered to pay affected communities nearly $2bn in damages. read more

CNN

Shell escaped liability for oil spills in Nigeria for years. Then four farmers took them to court — and won

By Nimi Princewill and Krystina Shveda, CNN: Updated 1540 GMT (2340 HKT) May 25, 2022

Nigeria (CNN)When Nigerian environmental lawyer Chima Williams launched a lawsuit against oil giant Shell plc, he did not envisage a 13-year battle that would lead to a landmark ruling and land him a prestigious environmental award.

Williams, who is the executive director of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, successfully convinced the Court of Appeal in the Hague that Shell plc was responsible for the activities of its subsidiary in Nigeria — Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) — and for oil spills that ravaged local farmlands.

The suit against Shell Nigeria was brought by four farmers from the Goi and Oruma communities in the country’s oil-rich but impoverished Niger Delta region, who said their farms were left in ruins after major spills from underground pipelines.

The decision to allow Shell plc, formerly known as Royal Dutch Shell plc, to be sued in this jurisdiction set a precedent as it was the first time the Dutch parent company was sued in its home country for the actions of its foreign subsidiary, SPDC.

Shell Nigeria (SPDC) was eventually held liable for the oil spills and ordered to pay damages to the farmers in a January 29, 2021, ruling by the Court of Appeal of the Hague. SPDC was also ordered to carry out an intensive clean-up of the damage to the communities.

Williams was on Wednesday awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for his work in holding the company accountable for the environmental damage. read more

Bloomberg

Shell Climate Case to Return to Focus at Annual Shareholder Meeting

Laura Hurst, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) — Climate issues are set to take center stage at Shell Plc’s annual general meeting on Tuesday, with a key group saying the energy giant isn’t abiding by a landmark court order requiring it to cut emissions by 45% by 2030.  

Milieudefensie, the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth, says Shell’s plans around customer-related emissions — which make up the bulk of its pollution — aren’t in line with last year’s judgment. The group originally brought the case against the company.

“The judge’s verdict is clear and necessary: Shell must stop causing dangerous climate change,” said campaign spokesperson Nine de Pater, who plans to attend the meeting in London as a proxy shareholder.  read more

21 MAY 2022

The content below is sourced from current verifiable customer reviews of Shell Energy published on Trustpilot.

NEVER USE THIS COMPANY

NEVER USE THIS COMPANY. The worst broadband company I have ever had to deal with. No one seems to know what they are talking about. Took ages to set up as staff kept getting details wrong, such bad connection I would give up watching a programme and go to bed, cheap tacky router which they actually wanted returning when I moved, router was is storage as I intended on continuing with shell when I found a house (living with my daughter at the moment). Now they want to charge me for the router and charge me for the rest of the year – nearly £200 – as I ‘have a contract with them’. All other companies connected with me selling my house have been great, occasional charge for ending a contract early but all expected. This company just want your money, not interested in the customer. the fact that they want money for providing no service is disgusting. One very helpful member of staff said she would refer me to the complaints department, then quite happily told me I would still owe them to the end of the year! Another unhelpful member of staff said she ‘understood’ why I was annoyed at the cost, but she clearly didn’t ‘understand’ at all – no one “understands” that it is fair to charge a customer for the year with no provision of a service. My ‘complaints’ phone call was a message to call them back! Great customer service! They obviously have so many complaints they only have time for one call. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE read more

FT

Odey urges Shell to drop appeal against order to slash emissions

Clifford Chance to handle Shell’s appeal against sensational defeat in the Milieudefensie case

The following are translated extracts from an article published on 19 May 2022 by the Dutch financial newspaper, the fd.

By Martijn Pols and Joris Polman.

Oil company Shell has set aside house lawyer De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek after the sensational defeat against Milieudefensie. Exactly one year ago, the judge forced Shell to tighten up its climate policy.

Shell appealed but had no confidence in a good outcome with De Brauw by its side. Lawyers for British Clifford Chance can now make another attempt. read more

CITYA.M. 

Activist investor prepares to take on Shell over climate targets

NICHOLAS EARL: THURSDAY 12 MAY 2022

Shell is preparing for a shareholder showdown at its upcoming general meeting later this month, with activist group Follow This pushing the energy giant to commit to more stringent environmental targets.

It has warned shareholders that Shell’s current transition plans are not aligned with the Paris Agreement, and has filed a motion – resolution 21 – calling for the oil and gas major to publish targets that cover short, medium and long term emissions in both its operations and the use of its energy products. read more

CNBC

Big Oil braces for shareholder revolt over climate plans in proxy voting season

Sam Meredith@SMEREDITH19 PUBLISHED WED, MAY 11 2022

• Oil and gas majors on both sides of the Atlantic are scheduled to hold their annual general meetings in the coming weeks.
• The forthcoming proxy season comes amid intensifying pressure on Big Oil to set short- and medium-term targets in line with the landmark Paris Agreement.
• At present, not a single oil and gas major is aligned with the Paris Agreement’s goal of curbing global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

LONDON — Some of the world’s largest corporate emitters face the prospect of a shareholder rebellion this month, with climate-related votes poised to spike throughout the proxy season.

Oil and gas majors on both sides of the Atlantic are scheduled to hold their annual general meetings in the coming weeks. Existing climate strategies are up for votes alongside a range of investor-led resolutions targeting emissions reductions. read more

The New York Times

Oil Giants Sell Dirty Wells to Buyers With Looser Climate Goals, Study Finds

The transactions can help major oil and gas companies clean up their own production by transferring polluting assets to a different firm, the analysis said.

By Hiroko Tabuchi: May 10, 2022

When Royal Dutch Shell sold off its stake in the Umuechem oil field in Nigeria last year, it was, on paper, a step forward for the company’s climate ambitions: Shell could clean up its holdings, raise money to invest in cleaner technologies, and move toward its goal of net zero emissions by 2050. read more

Reuters

Shell obtains injunctions against U.K. climate protests

Shell has obtained injunctions from U.K. courts that pave the way for protesters to be fined or put in prison if they block or damage petrol stations and other oil facilities in England and Wales, the firm said on Friday.

The move follows several protests in recent weeks by climate activists such as Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil.

It mirrors steps taken by other oil firms including Exxon that were backed by Britain’s business department, which says the right to protest should not cause disruption to people’s everyday lives. read more

Daily Mail

Friends of the Earth warns Shell directors they face personal liability if energy firm doesn’t clean up its act

By LUKE BARR FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 21:50, 25 April 2022 | UPDATED: 21:50, 25 April 2022

Shell directors risk ‘personal liability’ if they fail to boost the energy giant’s green credentials, an environmental group has claimed.

The threat to senior figures, including chief executive Ben van Beurden, was made in a recent letter from Friends of the Earth’s Netherlands branch, Milieudefensie. read more