壳牌启动削减成本重大举措旨在为能源转型做准备

据能源世界网9月21日伦敦报道，根据消息人士向路透社(Reuters)表示，荷兰皇家壳牌(Royal Dutch Shell)正寻求将油气的生产成本削减多达40%，此举是为了节省现金，以便能彻底改革业务，更多地关注可再生能源和电力市场。

壳牌新的削减成本审查，内部称为“重塑项目”，预计将于今年完成，将影响其三个主要部门，任何节省将在设定的新冠疫情危机后40亿美元目标之外。

对于壳牌进军利润相对较低的电力和可再生能源行业的计划来说，降低成本至关重要。随着全球经济走向绿色，公用事业公司和BP、道达尔等竞争对手石油公司争夺市场份额，竞争也可能加剧。

一位不愿透露姓名的壳牌资深消息人士表示，我们有一个很好的模式，但未来是否合适？会有差异，这不仅与结构有关，还与文化和我们想要成为的公司类型有关。

去年，壳牌的总运营成本为380亿美元，资本支出总额为240亿美元。

参与审查的两个消息人士告诉路透，壳牌正在探索如何通过削减运营成本和新项目的资本支出，将其最大的业务部门——上游部门的石油和天然气生产支出减少30%-40%。

据消息人士称，壳牌如今希望将其油气生产集中在几个关键枢纽，包括墨西哥湾，尼日利亚和北海。 该公司负责壳牌液化天然气(LNG)业务以及部分天然气生产的综合天然气部门也在考虑大幅削减天然气产量。

另外两名参与评估的消息人士对路透表示，对于下游业务，审查的重点是从壳牌拥有45,000个加油站的网络（世界上最大的加油站网络）中削减成本，这被视为其“最有价值的活动”之一，有望在过渡过程中发挥关键作用。

壳牌的重组举措反映了欧洲竞争对手英国石油(BP)和埃尼(Eni)近几个月的行动，两家公司都计划在未来十年减少对石油和天然气的关注，并建立新的低碳业务。

该公司消息人士称，这是壳牌现代史上规模最大的一次评估，预计将在2020年底前完成，届时壳牌将宣布重大重组。其将在2021年2月举办投资者日。

壳牌首席执行官范伯登(Ben van Beurden) 7月30日对分析师表示，壳牌已启动了一项“重新设计”这家英荷公司的计划。

郝芬 译自 能源世界网

原文如下：

Shell launches major cost-cutting drive to prepare for energy transition

Royal Dutch Shell is looking to slash up to 40 per cent off the cost of producing oil and gas in a major drive to save cash so it can overhaul its business and focus more on renewable energy and power markets, sources told Reuters.

Shell's 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. 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.

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 per cent to 40 per cent 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, is also looking at deep cuts, the sources said.

For downstream, the review is focusing on cutting costs from Shell's network of 45,000 service stations - the world's biggest - which is seen as one its "most high-value activities" and is expected to play a pivotal role in the transition, two more sources involved with the review told Reuters.

Shell's restructuring drive mirrors moves in recent months by European rivals BP and Eni which both plan to reduce their focus on oil and gas in the coming decade and build new low-carbon businesses.

The review, which company sources say is the largest in Shell's modern history, is expected to be completed by the end of 2020 when Shell wants to announce a major restructuring. It will hold an investor day in February 2021.

Speaking to analysts on July 30, Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden said Shell had launched a programme to "redesign" the Anglo-Dutch company.