Shell and BP return to agreements with the cabinet to reduce emissions

Oil companies Shell and BP do not want to comply with their agreements with the government about greening. Minister Sophie Hermans (Climate & Green Growth, VVD) and State Secretary Thierry Aartsen (Public Transport and Environment, VVD) will write this in Monday one letter To the Lower House.

In 2022, the Rutte IV cabinet invited the twenty most polluting companies in the Netherlands, including Shell and BP, to the negotiating table. If the companies were to make more sustainable than the law, the government would reward them with financial support. The now outgoing cabinet Schoof took over the conversations. Oil and gas company ExxonMobil and chemical company Sabic did not want to sign a declaration of intent at all.

46 Megaton Co₂

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), last year, the Dutch industry emitted 33 percent of the total number of greenhouse gases: about 46 Megaton Co₂. To achieve the climate goals of 2030, industrial companies must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to 29 megaton.

Shell had an emission of 6.7 Megaton Co on his own₂ in 2020; The cabinet and the company agreed a reduction of 3.9 megaton by 2030. From an overview of the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth turns out Now, however, that the oil company finds the projects to achieve that goal ‘insufficiently worked out’.

In addition, the company says it is struggling with, among other things, “strongly increased project costs, deteriorated market conditions and a delay of electricity infrastructure”. As a result, “acceleration of sustainability” would not be feasible for Shell.

Hydrogen project paused

At his oil refinery in the port of Rotterdam, BP aimed for a reduction of 1.2 Megaton Co₂ in 2030. A decrease of 60 percent compared to 2020, when the emissions were just over 2 megaton. The company said it was going to achieve the goals through low -carbon hydrogen, but from its own emission It appears that it started to emit more in the following years. In 2023 the CO was₂-Moordest 2,14 megaton.

The hydrogen project has since been paused, the Minister and State Secretary write. According to the ministry, BP is investigating “alternative sustainability options”.

Last November reported NRC About discussions between the Ministries Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK) and Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW), which are involved in making Dutch industry more sustainable. Documents showed that the departments were fundamentally on other ideas, so that companies were confused.

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