Shell’s fast track to a green-energy future
Shell, the oil major, has had to accelerate plans to go green, and may now ditch highly profitable assets in America. Matthew Partridge reports
After losing a “damning” court case last month, Royal Dutch Shell’s CEO Ben van Beurden promised last week that the company will “rise to the challenge” of hitting “ambitious climate targets”, says Francesca Washtell on This is Money. While the company had already vowed to cut its net carbon emission to zero by 2050, a Dutch court ruled last month that by 2030 it must also reduce them by 45% from 2019 levels. While the company will appeal, the ruling still applies immediately, so it has vowed to fast-track plans for the energy transition and cut emissions “in a way that remains purposeful and profitable”.
It looks as though part of the “bold action” Shell has promised will include selling at least part of its interest in America’s Permian Basin. The region, located in Texas, has been deemed “the world’s most important oil and gas site” as well as Shell’s “sleeping beauty”, with the company producing 193,000 barrels of oil there a day. However, the increased pressure from both courts and investors means that it is reportedly thinking about disposing of its wells, a move that could also raise up to $10bn.
Top-dollar assets
Speculation that Shell will sell its Permian holdings is a tad “premature”, says Lex in the Financial Times. After all, such a move would send an “inconsistent message”, given that the company recently boasted about the region’s importance to the group; the Permian is one of nine “core” oil and gas-producing areas around the world for the company. Indeed, profitability there has improved as commodity prices have risen, with returns on invested capital exceeding 10%. In any case, Shell’s legal appeals on the emissions ruling will require “several years”. However, Shell should “never say never” to such a move, especially “if the price is right”.
Try 6 free issues of MoneyWeek today
Get unparalleled financial insight, analysis and expert opinion you can profit from.
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
If the company does decide to sell it should receive a very good price, possibly even more
than $10bn, says George Hay on Breakingviews. This is because Shell’s Permian assets are extremely profitable and thus ideal for private-equity bidders “less beholden to environmentally conscious investors”. The proceeds of a sale could be used for a range of purposes, including cutting leverage or pivoting into “less carbon-intensive pursuits” such as ongoing investments in Qatar. The group could also “bulk up” its renewable-energy portfolio.
If Shell does choose to sell some of its assets, environmentalists shouldn’t pop open the organic champagne, says Bloomberg. Even though the oil majors are selling their assets due to mounting pressure to pay down debt while cutting greenhouse-gas emissions, demand for fossil fuels “holds strong”. As a result, Chinese competitors or national oil companies in the Middle East are willing to buy those assets. Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, for instance, are spending “billions” to boost their output capacities by a million barrels per day each.
-
Do you face ‘double whammy’ inheritance tax blow? How to lessen the impactFrozen tax thresholds and pensions falling within the scope of inheritance tax will drag thousands more estates into losing their residence nil-rate band, analysis suggests
-
Has the market misjudged Relx?Relx shares fell on fears that AI was about to eat its lunch, but the firm remains well placed to thrive
-
Has the market misjudged Relx?
Relx shares fell on fears that AI was about to eat its lunch, but the firm remains well placed to thrive
-
8 of the best properties for sale with minstrels’ galleriesThe best properties for sale with minstrels’ galleries – from a 15th-century house in Kent, to a four-storey house in Hampstead, comprising part of a converted, Grade II-listed former library
-
The rare books which are selling for thousandsRare books have been given a boost by the film Wuthering Heights. So how much are they really selling for?
-
How to invest as the shine wears off consumer brandsConsumer brands no longer impress with their labels. Customers just want what works at a bargain price. That’s a problem for the industry giants, says Jamie Ward
-
A niche way to diversify your exposure to the AI boomThe AI boom is still dominating markets, but specialist strategies can help diversify your risks
-
New PM Sanae Takaichi has a mandate and a plan to boost Japan's economyOpinion Markets applauded new prime minister Sanae Takaichi’s victory – and Japan's economy and stockmarket have further to climb, says Merryn Somerset Webb
-
Early signs of the AI apocalypse?Uncertainty is rife as investors question what the impact of AI will be.
-
8 of the best properties for sale with beautiful kitchensThe best properties for sale with beautiful kitchens – from a Modernist house moments from the River Thames in Chiswick, to a 19th-century Italian house in Florence
