Shell's renewables strategy to focus on biofuels

Shell's to focus on biofuels rather than wind, solar energy in alternative energy strategy 

Yahoo Finance

By Toby Sterling, Associated Press Writer, Tuesday March 17, 11:26 am ET 

AMSTERDAM (AP) -- Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Europe's largest oil company, said Tuesday its alternative energy strategy will focus more on biofuels than wind or solar energy, but revealed that investments in the sector are still only a tiny fraction of its overall business. 

Presenting the company's strategy, Shell said it has made $1.7 billion in investments in renewable energy and to reduce carbon dioxide output over the past five years. That compares with $1.7 trillion in company sales and $126.8 billion in net profit in 2003-2008. 

Executive board member Linda Cook said the company wouldn't give further details or disclose future spending plans in the individual categories of renewable energy. 

But she said Shell's ultimate goal is to build a "material business in alternative energy" and that the company plans to concentrate on biofuels at the expense of wind energy or solar power. 

Biofuels is the area closest to what Shell already does, she said at a strategy meeting in London broadcast on the Internet. "It's fuels, our brand is relevant, we're already present in the distribution business. So that one makes sense," she said. 

In the past year, Shell has signed deals with U.S.-based companies Virent Energy Systems Inc. and Colexis Inc. to develop plant-based alternatives to gasoline, with a focus on fuels not based on food crops. 

"On wind and solar (energy), they're interesting, but they continue to struggle in comparison with the other investment opportunities we have in our portfolio, even with substantial subsidies," Cook said. 

In the past Shell has been reluctant to disclose its spending on renewable energy, despite the urging of its own "sustainability" reporting panel. 

Cook rejected the idea that the company's spending on renewables is too small. 

"We have to start somewhere," she said. "If there aren't investment opportunities that compete with our other projects in the billions and billions then we won't spend the money on it (them)." 

She said the company's priority was to focus on investments that would "get the best return for shareholders. If those were in renewables today, we'd be putting money there, we'd be happy to. But that's just not the case. So we keep trying." 

Also Tuesday, Shell said its oil reserves were unchanged at the end of 2008 compared with a year earlier. 

That means 2008 was the first year the company hasn't pumped more oil than it has added to reserves since 2004, when an accounting scandal forced it to slash its proven reserves by more than a quarter. 

The company said net reserves were 11.9 billion barrels of oil or equivalents at year-end, enough to last about 10 years if it stopped developing new projects. 

Shell plans to increase production by 2 to 3 percent per year through 2012, after seven years of falling production. 

Chief Executive Jeroen van der Veer said Shell believes the current global economic downturn "could last more than a year" and Shell plans to reduce costs by demanding price reductions from suppliers. 

Shell has said the company does not expect to cut jobs. 

Shares fell 2.6 percent to euro17.30 in Amsterdam. 

In January, Shell reported full year 2008 earnings of $26.3 billion, down from $31.3 billion in 2007, due to falling oil prices and a corresponding drop in the value of its oil inventory.