Majorwaves Energy Report October 2020

Page 10

INDUSTRY NEWS Speaking on the company’s decision, President of Total Refining & Chemicals, Bernard Pinatel said: “With the industrial repurposing of the Grandpuits refinery into a zero-crude platform focused on energies of the future connected with biomass and the circular economy, Total is demonstrating its commitment to the energy transition and reaffirming its ambition to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2050.” “Grandpuits will remain a major industrial site drawing on the knowhow and expertise of its teams, and our partner firms will be playing a key role as well.” The company noted that it “…will carry out this industrial redeployment with

no layoffs, with early retirements and internal mobility within the Group’ sites, providing each employee with an appropriate solution.” Of the 400 jobs at the Grandpuits platform and its associated Gargenville (Yvelines) depot today, 250 will be maintained after the conversion. Furthermore, 15 additional jobs will be created on the Grandpuits site in a packaging unit connected to the bioplastics unit. “In addition, the work projects generated by this industrial investment of more than €500 million will create up to 1,000 jobs over the three-year period for construction of the new units. “Total has also carried out a thorough

review of the partner companies working on the platform, which amount to the equivalent of 300 full-time jobs. The Group is committed to supporting each partner company during the industrial repurposing of the site. In its new configuration, the Grandpuits platform will continue to prioritize its partner businesses, which will represent the equivalent of 200 full-time jobs. “Total will, of course, comply with all of its contractual commitments to its customers. “Total and the Ile-de-France region intend to launch a campaign to attract other industries to the property made available at the Grandpuits site and on industrial estates near the Grandpuits and Gargenville sites,” it added.

Energy Transition: Shell to Slash Oil and Gas Production Cost by Up to 40 Percent Competition is also likely to intensify with utilities and rival oil firms including BP and Total all battling for market share as economies around the world go green. “We had a great model but is it right for the future? There will be differences, this is not just about structure but culture and about the type of company we want to be,” said a senior Shell source, who declined to be named.

I

n its drive to save cash so it can overhaul its business and focus more on renewable energy and power markets, Royal Dutch Shell is looking to slash the cost of oil and gas production by up to 40 percent, Reuters reports. According to Reuters, the company’s

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Majorwaves Energy Report

OCTOBER 2020, Vol 3 No 10

new cost-cutting review, known internally as Project Reshape and expected to be completed this year, will affect its three main divisions and any savings will come on top of a $4 billion target set in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Reducing costs is vital for Shell’s plans to move into the power sector and renewables where margins are relatively low.

Last year, Shell’s overall operating costs came to $38 billion and capital spending totalled $24 billion. Shell is exploring ways to reduce spending on oil and gas production, its largest division known as upstream, by 30% to 40% through cuts in operating costs and capital spending on new projects, two sources involved with the review told Reuters. Shell now wants to focus its oil and gas production on a few key hubs, including the Gulf of Mexico, Nigeria and the North Sea, the sources said. The company’s integrated gas division, which runs Shell’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) operations as well as some gas production,


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