WADOO!!NEWS: Emma Thompson :Why I’m Crossing the Line to Stop Shell

‘THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR WORLD IS NOT INEVITABLE’

Emma Thompson :Why I’m Crossing the Line to Stop Shell

Emma, her daughter and the polar bear outside Shell’s London offices

As London slept last night, my daughter and I helped move a gigantic polar bear through its empty streets. At times we weren’t sure if we were fully awake either. There’s something dreamlike about the large black eyes of this gentle giant, a mesmerising glimpse of a world beyond. I visited the Arctic last year and it has remained deep in my subconscious ever since. We are here today to stop Shell from drilling in its melting ice. We want them to snap out of this nightmare before it has a chance to take hold.

WADOO!!NEWS: 2011 BONGA OIL SPILL: Victims fault Shell’s refusal to pay $3.6bn compensation

WARRI—SHORELINE communities and fisher-persons in Delta and Bayelsa States, affected by the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNEPCo, Bonga oil spill of December 20, 2011, have described as bizarre,  an alleged refusal by the company to pay $3.6 billion compensation to the victims of the crude oil spill, as directed by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, on grounds that some persons took the firm to court over the spill.

WADOO!!NEWS: Bonga oil spill: Shoreline communities beg Jonathan to prevail on Shell over $3bn compensation

SHORELINE communities and fisherpersons affected by the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNPECo, Bonga oil spill of December 20, 2011, have called on President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene again by directing Shell/SNEPCo to pay the already approved $3.6 billion as compensation and punitive damage to the shoreline communities and fisherpersons through their representative, Gbutse Property Limited.

 

WADOO!!NEWS: Shell lists challenges undermining transformation success

As robust as Federal Government’s current transformations in the energy sector may appear, the Shell Group has identified a number of challenges undermining the success of the reforms.

These are security, crude theft and pipeline vandalism, as well as funding, fiscal stability and predictability, lease predictability and a host of others.

Shell said that these factors are not only increasing the industry’s operating costs, but also stalling further investments for greater economic benefits.

The Vice President, Nigeria and Gabon, Shell Upstream International, Mr. Markus Droll, identified the challenges while speaking on, “The Journey Towards Transformation,” at the just concluded Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference, NOG 2015, last week in Abuja.

WADOO!!Nigeria Fishermen Reject Shell’s $50 Million

Thousands of Nigerian fishermen have rejected an offer of $50 million from Royal Dutch Shell for “some of the largest oil spills in history,” their British lawyers said Friday after winning a landmark court ruling.

WADOO!!NEWS: Women Protest Unclad Against Shell In Bayelsa

Women of Peremabiri community in Bayelsa State, Niger Delta, in their hundreds, yesterday, staged a protest half clothed, half unclad, against non-implementation of an existing agreement by Shell.

WADOO!!NEWS: To live and breathe a company- Peter Vose Speaks(The Big Golden Fish, leading one of the world’s largest companies)

To live and breathe a company

In his fifth year leading one of the world’s largest companies, Peter Voser announced he will step down. In this interview he looks back at 2013 and a career that has spanned over 25 years at Shell. With a unique insight into the world of energy, Peter reveals his highs, lows and the truth about life at the top.

 

2013 has seen major project achievements at the Mars B deep-water development and for Prelude FLNG, which will produce liquefied natural gas at sea. What are the year’s highlights for you?

All of this year’s milestones were important and unique. Prelude FLNG is a first for Shell and the industry. I am very proud of this project and construction is going well.

With regards to Mars B, we took the final investment decision during the moratorium after the BP Macondo tragedy. The future of deep-water drilling was uncertain, so the decision was a risk.

But the good progress we are making suggests the decision was right.

The Mars B Olympus platform, weighing more than 300 fully loaded 747 jumbo jets, was towed to the Gulf of Mexico

What were the disappointments of the past 12 months?

In the short term the company faces some performance issues – which we have been working on.

Things have been difficult in Nigeria, due to ongoing sabotage and security issues. We have seen underperformance at various production sites, such as those in the North Sea and at refineries in in the USA. We have improvement programmes in place. These are about focus, speed and concentrating on the right things. I am confident that these programmes will be implemented successfully over the coming quarters.

We made great progress towards our long-term objectives. Shell will be launching 17 key projects over the next two years, geared to fulfilling our commitment to increase cash flow.

You have reminded industry experts of the importance of investing for the long term. But there’s a lot of short-term pressure from the markets. In light of disappointing results so far for 2013, could you explain this approach?

It is natural and right that we have challenges from investors, and pressure to deliver operational results in the short term. Of course this is right, but at the same time we are investing in profitable growth for the long term and operating our assets in the best possible way.

One area that impacted results was poor refining margins. How is Shell addressing this?

Over the last 10 years Shell has sold small and medium-sized refineries. We focused instead on large, integrated refineries that are more efficient thanks to economies of scale, such as the Shell Eastern Petrochemicals project in Singapore. Shell is ready for when global demand starts to pick up and will be better placed than our competitors. We have not been complacent and continued to make improvements.

Some energy experts claim that there will be no future for oil and gas when renewables take off. What’s your view?

In the long term, energy demand will grow rapidly. In order to satisfy this, the world will need all energy sources. Renewables will undoubtedly make up a significant share. We anticipate that fossil fuels will still account for around 60% of the energy mix in 2050. This is where Shell will contribute the most, with a particular focus on natural gas.

There are no current plans to invest in renewables, other than operating our small wind business – predominantly in the USA – and through research and development into new energy technologies. When it comes to alternative energy, we mustn’t forget our major investment in biofuels through Raízen, our joint venture with Cosan to produce ethanol from Brazilian sugar cane.

Your ongoing ambition is to make Shell the most competitive and innovative energy company in the world. What would you hold up as the biggest Shell innovation?

Prelude FLNG is the world’s first project to turn natural gas to liquid at sea

We have consistently generated firsts in the industry, in deep water, in gas-to-liquids (GTL), in liquefied natural gas (LNG). The two I find the most striking are GTL and Floating LNG. Developed in our labs in Amsterdam 40 years ago, we brought GTL to market, scaled it up and today, thanks to Pearl GTL in Qatar, it is one of our most important cash-generating technologies. In Prelude we are working on the world’s first FLNG project.

Our achievements show what we can achieve as an integrated company.

You say it is positive that Shell is an integrated company. But is the company too big?

It is clear that Shell can be managed in the right way. We have strong leaders and the right people. There is no reason to break up the company. Being integrated brings strong benefits. For example, the brand value from our downstream operations is important for our upstream operations. We have already done a great deal to reduce complexity, though we can always do more. As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) I often found the speed of the company challenging. But we are getting faster: for example, we found gas in the Prelude field off Australia’s coast in 2007 and are already building Prelude FLNG.

In an interview you gave to the Financial Times this year you seemed to regret the Shell investment in shale gas. What is your position?

I indicated that our investment in the USA is currently not achieving the anticipated results. That is not the same as having regrets. We are eager to develop natural gas resources in line with our gas strategy. However, there has been a sharp drop in US natural gas prices and so we have reduced the pace of shale gas development in the country. But I think this business is important for Shell in the long term, and so it has our full attention. Yes, you sometimes have to face disappointments. But when something doesn’t work, I see it as a challenge.

Do you anticipate a future for shale gas in Europe?

Yes, but developments will take much longer. There is a lack of regulation and policy. In addition, revenues from shale gas production go to governments and not – as in the USA – partly to the individuals who own the ground. Shell has various options in its shale gas portfolio around the globe including in China, North America, Ukraine and Argentina. Europe’s contribution to the portfolio will be relatively small.

Shell activities in Alaska did not go according to plan in 2013. What are the next steps?

The Arctic is rich in oil and gas and the region will be developed. Shell has significant acreage in Alaska and is equipped to develop the resources there in a sustainable manner. We took a pause in 2013 and used the time to reflect on what happened in 2012. Shell is making preparations to potentially start exploratory drilling in 2014 or 2015, but this has not yet been decided. If we make a discovery, I would envisage possible production during the second half of the next decade.

The announcement of your retirement may have been a surprise to many people. What were the reasons for your decision to step down?

Peter Voser may have spent more time in planes than some pilots

 

I love the job and it’s lots of fun, so my decision was not from lack of enjoyment. I’ve been a Shell Board member for almost ten years: five of them as Chief Financial Officer and four and a half as CEO.

 

That’s a good stretch when you’re shaping company strategy. It’s the moment for change. I’ve been thinking about the next phase in my life and I want to move on while I’m still young enough.

 

I want to have time for my family, my interests and to give something back from everything I’ve learned.

How did you cope with the pressure of work?

At the top of the company, it never stops. You’re reachable 24/7. It doesn’t mean you work 24 hours a day, but you live and breathe the company. The job is very challenging, but also very rewarding. I visited three or four countries every week, possibly spending more time in planes than some pilots. To cope with pressure you need to decide when you are working and when you take time out – your body and mind need to relax. I tried to keep some weekends clear for my family, but it wasn’t always easy. Now it’s time to re-balance my life.

What will you do now?

Next year will be a gap year for me. Just spending time the way I want to with my wife and family. After that I’m considering working for three days a week, partly engaged in non-executive positions. I want to use the remainder of this time to transfer my knowledge to young people. And I want to devote some time to key challenges in society, such as youth unemployment. The most important thing I’ve learned as a business leader is that people make a difference.

My biggest success is… my own family – but also the Shell family. Both make me very proud.

The most important thing Shell has taught me is… to always do the right thing.

The Netherlands taught me that… there are countries with no mountains.

After a long international career I am still Swiss because… I prefer Swiss cheese.

The best place to work is… any Shell location in the world.

In my next life I would like to… be Peter Voser again.

What I will miss most… are my Shell colleagues.

WADOO!!TECH: Dealing with big data

One petabyte is a vast amount of data. One way to imagine it is if you compiled a petabyte of MP3-quality songs, each lasting for four minutes, you would have enough music to last around 2,000 years of continuous play. By 2016, Shell estimates it will have gathered over 450 petabytes of data from its seismic research online alone. You do the maths.

WADOO!!TECH/VIDEO: SHELL’S FLOATING NATURAL GAS FACILITY – FLNG (@Shell )

This is Shell’s Floating Liquid Natural Gas (FLNG) facility. When completed the 488m long vessel will be the world’s largest offshore floating facility, displacing 600,000 tonnes of water. The FLNG’s task will be to source and chill natural gas produced at the field to -162°C, shrinking its volume by 600 times, so it can be shipped to customers in other parts of the world.

 

A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE

Around the world, the trend is one of rising populations and higher levels of prosperity. This is a cause for celebration: on the whole, people are living longer and their lives are more comfortable. Although it may not seem the case on a day-to-day basis, the evidence suggests that world is getting better at surviving.

But such progress does bring with it a rising global demand for energy and, at a time when the threat of climate change has made itself known, new ideas and approaches need to be implemented to meet that demand.

Owing to their versatility, ease of transportation and high energy-yield, fossil fuels provide 80 per cent of the world’s energy supply. Natural gas provides us with a cleaner burning fossil fuel as it emits virtually no sulphur, produces no solid waste, generates far less nitrogen oxide than oil or gas and – most importantly – emits significantly less CO2 than coal when burnt to generate electricity.

Today, natural gas accounts for 23 per cent of the world’s total energy consumption, a share that looks set to rise as old coal-fired power stations are decommissioned and replaced with cleaner gas-fired alternatives.

Not only are there environmental factors for moving to natural gas (the CO2 emissions of a gas plant are 50 per cent of those of its coal-fired cousin) but the economics behind such a change are appealing too. Per megawatt-hour produced, a new gas plant requires about half the capital costs of development of a coal station, a third of those of a nuclear plant and a fifth of the costs of the equivalent onshore wind farm.

With over 50 years’ experience in producing, transporting and supplying natural gas, Shell supplies more countries than any other energy company. With the inevitable rise in global energy demand, natural gas is going to play an increasingly important and diverse role. Not only generating electricity and warming homes, but directly fuelling cars and trucks. Today Shell is developing new technologies and approaches to make the most of the world’s gas reserves, thereby recognizing the role that gas has to play in helping to bring about a cleaner energy future.