Shell moves to UK and ditches ‘Royal Dutch’ name amid lengthy tax dispute and activist pressure NOT SO ROYAL Royal Dutch Shell is moving its headquarters, top executives, and crucially, its tax residence from The Hague to the UK. The move prompted the Dutch government to overhaul a controversial dividend tax which the energy giant had cited as a reason to unify its share structure and shift bases, according to the Financial Times. Shell [...]
Exclusive: En+ chairman and former minister Lord Barker warns ‘don’t expect a big bang’ from COP26 Many eyes were on Lord Gregory Barker of Battle earlier this week, as ‘his’ global energy giant En+ was at the heart of COP26’s complex ecosystem of executives, government reps, lobbyists, NGOs and activists in Glasgow. Lord Barker was appointed independent chairman of the En+ Group board of directors in October 2017, just before the company’s [...]
UK government approaches Qatar for ‘last resort’ gas deal The UK government has approached Qatar for a long-term gas deal to shore up supplies amid soaring wholesale energy prices and growing fears of a winter fuel crisis, according to The Financial Times. British ministers have been holding talks with the world’s largest producer of liquefied natural gas to reach an arrangement where Qatar would [...]
Authorities investigating proposed £725m Esso oil field sale October 26, 2021 THE OIL and Gas Authority (OGA) has launched an investigation into a £725 million oil field deal in the North Sea. The organisation is probing Esso’s plans to sell 13 producing oil fields, including Elgin Franklin, to NEO Energy. It fears negotiations are progressing too slowly, and could have a “chilling effect” on the market [...]
City corruption: Company of Tory donor Ayman Asfari paid tens of millions in bribes across Middle East October 3, 2021 A company whose biggest shareholder is a major Tory donor did not stop its employees from paying out more than £32m in bribes in order to secure a range of contracts across the Middle East. Petrofac, one of the world’s largest service providers to oil and gas producers, won business worth £2.7bn in Iraq, Saudi [...]
Petrol bosses warn fuel shortage is ‘getting worse’ in London and south-east October 2, 2021 Fuel shortages are getting worse rather than improving, especially in London and the south-east of England, the chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) has warned. Brian Madderson said it remains a “really big problem” in this part of the UK, and told the BBC’s Today programme: “In London and the South East and possibly [...]
Oil price surges above $80 a barrel for first time since 2018 September 28, 2021 Oil prices have surged above $80 a barrel for the first time in three years, as markets braced for even tighter supplies due to resurgent demand that showed no signs of stopping in some locations. Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose as much as 0.8 per cent to touch $80.19 a barrel during Asia trading [...]
Government denies there is shortage of fuel amid BP and Esso closing gas stations September 24, 2021 The government is urging Brits “buy fuel as normal”, after the ongoing lorry driver shortage issue reached gas stations yesterday. BP said a number of its filling stations are closed due to a lack of fuel available, while Esso owner ExxonMobil also said a “small number” of its Tesco Alliance petrol forecourts have been impacted. [...]
Drill, baby, drill: Arctic set for £230bn oil and gas bonanza with JPMorgan, Barclays and Citi piling in September 23, 2021 Oil and gas companies are set to ramp up production in the Arctic by 20 per cent in the next five years, according to a new report shared with City A.M. this morning. The main Arctic expansionists – Gazprom, Total and ConocoPhillips – are backed by hundreds of billions of pounds from dozens of City [...]
Brits face choice between heating and eating, warns personal finance guru Martin Lewis September 20, 2021 Thousands of Brits will be forced to make the devastating choice between heating and eating as energy bills rise, Martin Lewis has warned. The consumer and personal finance champion called the ongoing energy crisis “catastrophic” and said intervention is needed to help consumers. Soaring wholesale gas prices are putting an upward pressure on energy bills. [...]