Shell CEO speaks at London Business School
We are part of a growth industry, says Shell CEO
Royal Dutch Shell’s Chief Executive, Jeroen van der Veer, told his Stockton audience at London Business School on 18 October that international oil and gas companies (IOCs) like Shell are part of a growth industry. By 2050, the world could be using at least twice as much energy as we use today and a company like Shell possesses the skills to open up new energy frontiers and help maintain the supplies of oil and gas for the world’s economic development needs.
Shell seeks to contribute to the gradual transition from a high-carbon to a low-carbon energy system; it is actively engaged in developing second-generation biofuels, is a large player in wind energy and invests in thin-film solar technology and hydrogen demonstration projects.
The company’s technological developments include prolonging the lives of mature basins around the world, moving into unconventional resources – the Canadian oil sands, contaminated gas in Australia and heavy oil – and developing giant integrated gas projects such as the Pearl project in Qatar. This project has everything today’s international oil company must master: a good working relationship with the host government, size, complexity, integration of upstream and marketing, and, of course, innovation.