Shell says it may pull out of 10 countries

Anglo-Dutch energy major sees savings of US4.5bn over two years as it plans asset sales following £47bn takeover of BG Group.

The Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden. Shell on Tuesday increased by US1 billion the amount it expects to make in cost savings from its mega takeover of smaller British rival BG Group. Adrian Dennis/AFPShow less

The energy giant Royal Dutch Shell on Tuesday said it could exit up to 10 countries under a plan to sell oil and gas assets over two years.

Following its recent huge takeover of rival BG Group, the expanded company expects also to make higher cost savings than previously announced, Shell said.

The Anglo-Dutch group said it anticipated savings of US$4.5 billion in two years’ time, $1bn more than previously forecast.

In another update, Shell said it had “earmarked up to 10 per cent of … oil and gas production, including five to 10 country exits, for disposal”. It did not name any of the more than 70 countries it operates in from which it might exit.

While planned asset sales remained unchanged at $30bn, Shell trimmed 2016 planned investment to $29bn, as energy companies worldwide battle low oil prices.

Shell added: “We are announcing an increase in expected deal-related synergies, from the $3.5bn set out in the prospectus, to $4.5bn on a pre-tax basis in 2018, an increase of some 30 per cent.”

Shell shares were trading around 2.7-per cent higher in London afternoon trading, topping the capital’s benchmark FTSE 100 index.

The company recently completed a £47bn (Dh251.34bn) takeover of the smaller British rival BG Group, in a deal aimed at strengthening Shell’s position in the liquefied natural gas market.

Meanwhile, owing to the takeover as well as low oil prices, Shell is cutting at least 12,500 jobs over two years to the end of 2016.

“By capping our capital spending in the period to 2020, investing in compelling projects, driving down costs and selling non-core positions, we can reshape Shell into a more focused and more resilient company, with better returns and growing free cash flow per share,” Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden said on Tuesday ahead of a presentation day with analysts.

Shell announced an 89-per cent drop in net profit for the first quarter of 2016, blaming the slump on the price of crude.

The global oil market had nosedived from above $100 in mid-2014 to 13-year lows of about $27 in February, plagued by a stubborn supply glut.

But prices have since rebounded to trade at around $50 a barrel on signs that the market is rebalancing.

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter