Shell Urges Dutch Government to Increase Offshore Wind Production

Shell has been under increasing pressure in recent years as the Group has shown little interest in changing its corporate strategy. However, the oil and gas giant can no longer resist the will of its shareholders, who demand less carbon-intensive and more clean fuels. This is why, for the first time, they had participated in one of the Dutch offshore auctions as a member of a consortium and also attempted to gain a foothold in the US wind business. The consortium in the Netherlands was awarded the contract to build another offshore wind farm.

According to Reuters, Shell, together with other companies, is calling on the Dutch government to increase the expansion of offshore wind energy. So far, 20 gigawatts are planned for 2030 - Shell now calls for a quadruple of this target and the switch to renewable energies in the Netherlands. At the same time, however, the gas business will continue to play a role, since gas, at least against coal, is less stressful on the environment and can reliably guarantee electricity supply as a base load carrier even in times when little sun or wind is available.

The Dutch government has restricted the amount of gas extracted from the Groninger gas field off the Dutch coast because of the associated earthquakes. The field is owned by Shell and Exxon, which is why the Group is particularly keen not to completely shut down its gas business. "The largest contribution Shell can make to reducing emissions globally in the near term is to continue to grow the role of natural gas," Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden said last month.