Shell licenses petrochemical technology to China National Petroleum Corporation

Beijing, 18 March, 2008: Shell Global Solutions International today announced the signing of a licensing contract with PetroChina International Company Ltd and PetroChina Sichuan Petrochemical Company Limited (PSP), which are subsidiaries of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), for the application of Shell's Ethylene Oxide/Ethylene Glycol (EO/EG) process in a new petrochemical plant near Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

Under the contract, Shell's leading EO/EG process and CRI Catalyst Company's EO catalyst will be used in the plant that PSP is building to produce 380,000 tonnes of mono ethylene glycol (MEG) and 50,000 tonnes of EO. The plant is expected to commence production by the end of 2010.

CRI Catalyst Company is Shell's wholly owned affiliate and a part of CRI/Criterion Inc, the global catalyst technology company of the Shell Group.

The contract was signed in November 2007 and was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in February, 2008.

This is Shell's sixth EO/EG license to China and the third to CNPC. The CNOOC-Shell petrochemical plant in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, is also a licensee of the process in China.

Shi Xiaoli, General Manager of Shell Global Solutions, China, said: "The Shell EO/EG process along with the superior CRI catalyst is a recognised leading technology in the global EO/EG licensing market. We are proud of the confidence that CNPC has placed in our technology."

The Shell process is a robust design that allows a new plant to have rapid, smooth start-up to produce on-specification products. The process is optimised around CRI's high selectivity EO catalyst, which is the most efficient EO catalyst developed by CRI Catalyst Company. As a result, the savings of raw materials significantly lower the variable costs as well as the total operating cost.

Leading Health, Safety and Environment standards are another strength of the Shell process, which complies with the most stringent environmental emission regulations and incorporates high tech safeguarding systems along with enhanced energy integration.

Lim Haw Kuang, Executive Chairman of Shell Companies in China, said: "This license further strengthens Shell's technological ties with Chinese national oil and gas companies. We are very proud to continue to share our technology know-how with leading Chinese companies like CNPC."

For further information, please contact:
Shell Companies in China
Liu Xiaowei
Tel:+(86-10)-6505 4501 ext 2849

Notes to editors
About Shell Global Solutions International
Shell Global Solutions International is an affiliate of Shell Global Solutions, which is a network of independent technology companies in the Shell Group. Shell Global Solutions provides business and operational consultancy, technical services and research and development expertise to the energy and processing industries worldwide, including Shell operating units.

About CRI Catalyst Company
CRI Catalyst Company (CRICC) is part of CRI/Criterion Inc, the global catalyst technology company of the Shell Group. CRICC operates research laboratories, development facilities, manufacturing plants and business units throughout the world. It is dedicated to providing a broad customer base with the most effective and cost-efficient catalysts and technologies available. Specific areas of focus include hydrogenation, oxidation, dehydrogenation, and environmental catalysts and systems. Fully integrated technical service and support groups further enhance the customer value of CRICC's products, and facilitate creative solutions to the most difficult customer problems.

About Ethylene Oxide (EO) Catalyst
CRI Catalyst Company and Shell Global Solutions are the world's leading providers of EO catalyst and EO/EG process technology. For more than 50 years, CRI/Shell have led the industry in catalyst technology breakthroughs and safe, efficient and environmentally responsible production of EO and EG. Over 37% of the world's EO is produced in Shell-licensed and designed plants, more than any other licensor, and 55% of the world's EO production is made using CRI's proprietary catalysts.