An employee handles a pump at a hydrogen refueling point at a Royal Dutch Shell gas station in Berlin on Aug. 25, 2021.
Krisztian Bocsi | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Shell will cut 200 positions within its low-carbon solutions unit in 2024, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC on Wednesday.
The company’s low-carbon division helps spearhead Shell’s transition to clean energy including hydrogen, given its pledge to become a “net-zero emissions energy business” by 2050. The company will switch some of the jobs in question to other divisions within Shell’s more than 90,000 employee workforce, and an additional 130 roles will be put “under review” throughout 2024, said the spokesperson.
The job cuts are a part of a broader overhaul by Shell CEO Wael Sawan, who took the helm in January, bullish on the company’s ability to decarbonize, despite the fact that its bottom line still relies on its oil and gas output. The decision to downsize also follows Shell’s failure to secure a grant from the $7 billion of federal funding to develop hydrogen energy, which was distributed earlier this month.
Shell had applied for the funding with a hydrogen hub in Louisiana but was ultimately not on the list of seven hubs that received a grant this round. The company said it is still waiting for a formal explanation from the Department of Energy on why its Louisiana hub was not selected.
In the meantime, according to the spokesperson, Shell is planning $10 billion to $15 billion of low-carbon energy investment over the next two years, which will include biofuels, hydrogen, carbon capture and electric vehicle charging. Last July, the company announced its investment in the creation of one of Europe’s largest hydrogen energy plants.
In June, the company announced it would maintain its levels of oil production through 2030 to boost investor confidence as its renewables sagged.
“We will invest in the models that work — those with the highest returns that play to our strengths,” Sawan said at the time, six months into the role.
Shell, along with many major oil companies, has come under fire for its role in perpetuating climate change. It has been sued in the past for its failure to keep up with the climate goals outlined in the Paris Agreement. The company is also currently among the oil giants California is suing for allegedly deceiving the public about the realities of climate change.
The question of how big oil companies such as Shell can fit into a clean energy future is existential for its business. Competitors such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron recently doubled down on their commitments to fossil fuels with two major oil acquisitions.
Chevron is not seeing signs that the U.S. is close to a recession even as President Donald Trump’s tariffs weigh on expectations for oil demand, CEO Mike Wirth said Tuesday.
“There’s no signs that we see at this point that we are in or close to a recession,” Wirth told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “There are signs that growth may be slowing and we have to always be prepared for that.”
The International Monetary Fund on Monday cut its growth outlook for the U.S. this year to 1.8%, down from 2.7% previously.
The oil market is expecting reduced demand as a consequence of Trump’s tariffs and the decision by OPEC+ increase production faster than expected, Wirth said. Chevron isn’t changing its capital spending plans in response to drop in prices, the CEO said.
U.S. crude oil prices have fallen about 11% since Trump announced his tariffs on April 2. West Texas Intermediate was last up about 72 cents at $63.80 per barrel. OPEC and the International Energy Agency have cut their demand outlooks for this year.
Wirth said U.S. onshore oil production in patches like the Permian Basin is likely to pull back if prices hit $60 per barrel. Offshore production likely won’t be affected, he said.
“That’s an area where if we were to be at a $60 price or even lower you’re likely to see activity pull back in this sector and you’ll see the production response over a few months,” Wirth said. “That’s what we should watch, not so much the deep water activity.”
Chevron is not expecting a major direct impact on its business from Trump’s tariffs as energy has largely been exempt from the levies, Wirth said.
“The effects that we feel are likely to be more the macroeconomic effects as they flow through the economy,” Wirth said. “The bigger issues would be what would it mean for growth, and global trade and how does that evolve.”
Executives at oil and gas companies were scathing in their criticism of Trump’s tariffs in an anonymous March survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, warning that steel tariffs were raising their costs and low prices could impact their activity.
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Little is known about super-secretive EV startup Slate, but the fledgling brand is rumored to be backed by Jeff Bezos and determined to shake up the existing electric order with an affordable lineup of compact SUVs and pickups with that golden $25,000 price tag.
Now, at least, we know what it’s gonna look like. The battle of the billionaires is on!
Redditor jonjopop over at the spotted subreddit spotted what looks like an early prototype of an unbranded SUV with bizarre “CryShare” wrap. CryShare, as a concept, seems to combine the functionality of a ride sharing app like Uber or Lyft with the familiar (to parent, anyway) idea that small babies will often sleep better in a moving car than in their own cribs … but that’s not what’s important here.
Instead, focus on the vehicle itself – parked on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Los Angeles without explanation or fanfare, this is our best look yet at the kind of vehicle(s) Slate is likely to reveal in the coming days.
Other local automotive journalists caught wind of the public unveiling, too – and our friends at The Autopian (Hi, Matt!) sent their own David Tracy out on the streets of LA to check it out. Tracy took the following video and posted it to Instagram.
As with so much involving Slate, however, there is nothing here written in stone – or even cast in cheese. Nothing has been announced, nothing is promised, and for all we know this might have more to do with the affordable Rivian brand launch, a new BYD, or be a viral marketing bit from some local Art Center design student in (relatively) nearby Pasadena. In fact, about the only thing I think we can say about Bezos (?) new Slate project with confidence today is this: Elon could probably use that drink.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Reddit, The Autopian.
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Gold prices rebounded on Tuesday from a near four-week low reached in the previous session, as heightened concerns over the global trade war between the United States and its key trading partners lifted investor appetite for safe-haven assets.
Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Gold prices rallied Tuesday, hitting a record as President Donald Trump‘s repeated threats against the Federal Reserve’s independence have shaken investors and undermined confidence in the U.S.
Gold futures hit a session high of $3,509.90 per ounce Tuesday, after closing at a record $3,425.30 on Monday. The precious metal was last up 1.1% at $3,463.20. Gold has rallied about 31% since the start of the year and more than 9% since Trump announced sweeping tariffs on April 2.
Trump ratcheted up his public pressure campaign against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Monday, demanding he immediately lower interest rates and attacking him as a “major loser.” Equity markets sold off in response, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling more than 970 points.
Gold is viewed as a safe-haven asset in times of economic uncertainty. Central banks around the world have been adding to their gold reserves, supporting the precious metal’s rally this year.
“Gold has continued to serve as an effective hedge amid ongoing trade uncertainty,” analysts led by Mark Haefele, global wealth management chief Investment officer at UBS, told clients in a Tuesday note.
“Despite this strong performance, we see further upside potential,” Haefele said. “We continue to see support from investment demand, ongoing central bank diversification and a volatile macro backdrop.”
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