Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies. Our headquarters are in The Hague, the Netherlands, and our Chief Executive Officer is Ben van Beurden. The parent company of the Shell group is Royal Dutch Shell plc, which is incorporated in England and Wales.Our strategy to generate profitable growth remains to drive forward with our investment programme, to deliver sustainable growth and provide competitive returns to shareholders, while helping to meet global energy demand in a responsible way.
In Upstream we focus on exploring for new oil and gas reserves and developing major projects where our technology and know-how adds value to the resource holders.
In Downstream our emphasis remains on sustained cash generation from our existing assets and selective investments in growth markets.
Upstream
Our Upstream business searches for and recovers crude oil and natural gas. It liquefies and transports natural gas, and operates the infrastructure needed to deliver both oil and natural gas to market. The Upstream business also extracts bitumen – an especially thick, heavy oil – from oil sands and converts it into synthetic crude oil. We are also developers of wind power as a means to generate electricity.
Our Upstream businesses are grouped into two organisational units: Upstream Americas, covering the Americas, and Upstream International, covering the rest of the world with major interests in Europe, Asia/Middle East/Russia, Australia/Oceania and Africa.
Downstream
Our Downstream business manages Shell’s refining and marketing activities for oil products and chemicals. Refining includes manufacturing, supply and shipping of crude oil. Marketing sells a range of products, including fuels, lubricants, bitumen and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), for home, transport and industrial use. Chemicals produces and markets petrochemicals for industrial customers, including the raw materials for plastics, coatings and detergents.
The Downstream business also trades crude oil, oil products and petrochemicals – including supply to our own businesses – and markets gas and power. It provides shipping services by managing one of the world’s largest fleets of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers) and oil tankers. In addition, Downstream oversees Shell’s interests in alternative energy (excluding wind) and CO2 management.