Posts under ‘President Putin’

Bloomberg

Shell Walks Away From Major Russian LNG Project With Nothing

By Will Mathis: 1 September 2022 at 17:30 BST

Shell Plc will walk away from Russia’s Sakhalin-2 liquefied natural gas project with nothing after President Vladimir Putin transferred the major facility to a new operating company.

The London-based firm’s decision is the latest indication that Putin won’t allow international energy companies to realize big financial gains as they exit Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.

Shell had already written off the $1.6 billion value of its 27.5% stake in Sakhalin-2 earlier this year. T read more

Sunday Telegraph

Europe gas shortages to last several winters, Shell boss warns

Ben van Beurden says energy rationing will be needed for a number of years

By Rachel Millard: 29 August 2022 • 12:54 pm

Europe’s energy crisis will last for several winters, the boss of Shell has said, as he warned it is “fantasy” to think shortages caused by Russia cutting supplies can be resolved quickly.

Ben van Beurden told a conference in Norway that power rationing will be needed for a number of years as electricity prices hit fresh record highs. read more

Vladimir Putin has ‘weaponized’ energy and Europe may be forced to ration supplies this winter, warns Shell CEO

Beatrice Nolan: Fri, July 15, 2022, 2:29 PM

• Europe may have to ration energy to cope with declining Russian supply this winter, says Shell CEO.

• Ben van Beurden predicted “significantly” higher natural gas prices if Putin cuts flows further.

• Emmanuel Macron has asked French citizens to reduce their energy usage to avoid a difficult winter.

Europe may have to ration energy to cope with declining Russian supply this winter, the chief executive of Shell has warned.

Ben Van Beurden was speaking at an energy conference in Oxford when he made the comments that were reported by The Financial Times.

The Shell boss predicted “significantly” higher gas prices if Vladimir Putin continues to slow supplies to Europe and said that he couldn’t rule out Russia cutting off supplies entirely.

Putin had shown he was “able and willing to weaponize energy supplies,” Van Beurden said. read more

Express

RUSSIA’S threat to cut off energy supplies to Europe will lead to a winter of hell for the continent and the UK, as Shell warns of possible energy rationing.

By ANTONY ASHKENAZ

11:47, Fri, Jul 15, 2022 | UPDATED: 11:47, Fri, Jul 15, 2022

The EU and UK may be forced to ration their energy supplies this winter, as fears grow that Russia could cut more countries off its gas imports. Over the past few months, European nations have scrambled to buy as much natural gas as they can to fill up their winter storage, with the European Commission mandating storage reach at least 80 percent by November 1. As a result of this spike in demand, natural gas costs have skyrocketed, pushing up prices for consumers and businesses.

Speaking at the Aurora Spring Conference in Oxford, Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said: “It will be a really tough winter in Europe.

“Some countries will fare better than others but we will all be facing a very significant escalation in energy prices.”

He added that in a worst-case scenario, Europe would have to resort to rationing its energy to prevent blackouts.

Some countries have already warned that in a worst-case scenario, an extreme shortage would force a shut down of industry as the power is prioritised to heat homes in the winter. read more

The Guardian

Europe could face energy rationing as ‘really tough winter’ looms, Shell boss warns

Mark Sweney and Alex Lawson: Thu 14 Jul 2022 13.04 BST

European consumers could face the prospect of energy rationing this winter as costs continue to soar amid the risk of Russia cutting off gas supplies, Shell’s chief executive has said.

“It will be a really tough winter in Europe,” said Ben van Beurden… “We will all face very significant escalation in energy prices. In the worst case, Europe will need to ration its energy consumption.” read more

yahoo!finance

Putin Swoop on Gas Plant Risks Forcing Foreign Partners Out

Stephen Stapczynski and Garfield Reynolds

Fri, July 1, 2022, 10:04 a.m.

(Bloomberg) — President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to transfer rights to the Sakhalin-2 natural gas project to a new Russian company, a move that could force foreign owners including Shell Plc to abandon their investment in the facility.

The decree cites threats to Russia’s national interests and economic security, according to a statement dated June 30, issued by the Kremlin and signed by Putin. Stakeholders have one month to say whether they’ll take a holding in the new company, and those who opt out may not be fully compensated, the statement said.

The move could prove complicated for Shell, which holds a 27.5% stake in the liquefied natural gas facility in Russia’s far east. The energy giant announced it would exit the project after Russia invaded Ukraine, and also said it wouldn’t commit to any new investments in the country.

Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said earlier this week that Shell is making progress selling its stake, which Wood Mackenzie estimates is worth $4.1 billion. China’s key state-run energy companies are in talks with Shell to buy its stake in the project, people familiar with the details said in April.

Shell is aware of the decree and is assessing its implications, the company said in a statement.

The world is already grappling with surging fuel prices as Putin steps up the use of gas as a weapon, and any effort by Moscow to take over energy assets could rile markets further. Most western energy firms are trying leave Russian projects, but are struggling to find willing buyers. read more

CITYA.M.

Kremlin orders seizure of gas facility which Shell has 27 per cent stake in worth £3.4bn

JACK MENDEL

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has ordered the seizure of a gas facility in the county which UK firm Shell has a 27 per cent stake in.

The Kremlin signed a decree to take control of rights of the Sakhalin-2 plant, which will be transferred into Russian hands.

This comes as Moscow continues to come under severe economic pressure with sanctions, while countries including the UK, Germany and other EU states have been urged to stop buying fuel from Russia, amid its war against Ukraine. read more

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Putin moves to seize a large gas venture in Russia’s Far East.

Shell and two Japanese companies, Mitsui and Mitsubishi, are minority shareholders in the Sakhalin-2 joint venture.

Russia is moving to take over an important natural gas joint venture, putting the investments of Shell and two Japanese trading companies, Mitsui and Mitsubishi, at risk.

A decree issued by President Vladimir V. Putin on Thursday said the project, called Sakhalin-2, which is on Sakhalin Island in Russia’s Far East and is a key exporter of fuel to Japan, would be taken over by a new company. read more

The Telegraph

Europe lurches closer to energy crisis as Kremlin cuts off gas supply to Shell

British company loses access to Russian fuel following refusal to pay in roubles

By Rachel Millard and Matt Oliver31 May 2022 • 7:44pm

Europe lurched closer to an energy crisis on Tuesday after the Kremlin cut off gas supplies to major buyers including Shell.

Russia’s state-owned gas supplier, Gazprom, said supplies to Shell in Germany as well as to Ørsted in Denmark will be cut off on Wednesday after they refused to bow to Putin’s demands to pay in roubles. read more

CITYA.M.

Shell refuses to set up Gazprom account as it continues Russian withdrawal

NICHOLAS EARL: TUESDAY 31 MAY 2022 6:31 PM

Energy giant Shell has confirmed it will not set up a rouble account, under new terms demanded by Kremlin-backed giant Gazprom.

This means it will no longer be contracting Russian gas to fulfil its contracts to European households, including its customers in Germany.

A Shell spokesperson told City A.M.: “Shell has not agreed to new payment terms set out by Gazprom, including the creation of K accounts. We will work to continue supplying our customers in Europe through our diverse portfolio of gas supply. Shell continues to work on a phased withdrawal from Russian hydrocarbons, in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.” read more

OILPRICE.COM

Shell’s Russia Exit Includes Plans To Sell Fuel Stations

By Charles Kennedy – May 06, 2022, 12:30 PM CDT

“We can confirm the ongoing negotiations on the sale of Shell Neft, which owns a retail network and lubricants plant which is located in Torzhok,” Bloomberg cited Shell’s press office as saying in a statement. “Our key priority is safety of our people and operations, maintaining employment and compliance with the Russian legislation.”

Shell Neft owns both a 370-strong retail network of fuel stations and a transport and logistics complex with oil facilities in Russia. read more

Fortune

Shell CEO points out loopholes in Russian oil sanctions after announcing record profits

Planned embargoes on Russian oil may be thwarted due to the way the global crude supply chain works, Shell’s CEO explained on Thursday.

Speaking after Shell reported record quarterly profits, Ben van Beurden, the oil giant boss, told reporters that the framework of the world’s crude network left loopholes open in Western government bans on Russian oil.

This is because imported fuels like gasoline, which might have been made from Russian oil but refined outside of Russia, cannot always be traced back to their natural source. read more

Shell tightens restrictions on Russian oil buying

April 27 (Reuters) – Shell SHEL.L on Wednesday tightened its restrictions on buying Russian oil, saying it would no longer accept refined products with any Russian content, including blended fuels.

Shell last month said it would phase out buying Russian crude and its involvement in all Russian hydrocarbons from oil to natural gas, after facing an uproar over buying a Russian crude cargo in the days following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. read more

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

Ukraine brands Shell ‘deplorable’ after accusing it of using an ‘accounting trick’ to keep buying Russian oil

By LUCY WHITE FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 21:54, 22 April 2022 | UPDATED: 09:52, 23 April 2022

Ukraine’s government has branded Shell ‘deplorable’ after accusing it of using an ‘accounting trick’ to keep buying Russian oil.

Officials in Kyiv said Western companies were continuing to ‘bankroll Putin’s war machine’ despite promising to cut ties with the Kremlin. read more

The Telegraph

‘Latvian blend’: How Russia bends the rules to keep its oil flowing

There is a growing gap between rhetoric and reality on the vast trade of Russian oil