Our neighbours

Working with local communities as we explore offshore Alaska to help meet the world’s rising energy demand.

Having re-entered Alaska in 2005, we were awarded 275 exploration leases in the Chukchi Sea in 2008. If exploration is successful, these leases could one day lead to big projects. But it will take time. Whales and seals live in these waters and the local Inupiat people fish here. We have learned that building relationships and trust with the communities here cannot be rushed.

Environmental groups challenged the environmental impact assessments carried out by the federal government before granting our permit to explore in the Beaufort Sea. Finally in 2010 the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favour of approval for our exploration.

In May 2010, a moratorium on deep-water and Arctic drilling was imposed in the USA. We now intend to pursue a 2011 drilling programme, moving with caution and working with local communities. As part of this, since 2006 we have invested tens of millions of dollars in research programmes. We are learning more about the region’s ecology and working to find ways to explore that will respect local traditions and generate much-needed economic development.

Winning and keeping our neighbours' trust helped us to re-open an oil field at Schoonebeek.

Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM), a 50:50 joint venture between Shell and ExxonMobil. For nearly 50 years NAM operated an oil field near Schoonebeek in the Netherlands.

NAM hired local people and businesses. It also ensured open communication with the local community. In 1996 it was no longer cost-effective to extract the remaining and NAM closed the field safely.

Advances in oil recovery technology made re-opening the field possible in 2003. NAM resumed dialogue with its neighbours during the approval process for the new project. Some local people were concerned about noise and the effect on the countryside. NAM held “noise evenings” at local homes to demonstrate the noise levels the project would produce. It also re-routed a pipeline to move it out of sight. This helped it to complete the approval process in a reasonable time and start construction on schedule in late 2008.

Improving relations with local communities in Buenos Aires through open communication and support for community projects.

In the mid-1990s a new coking plant at our refinery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, led to concerns among local people about possible pollution. We recognised that anxieties had grown partly as we did not have a strong and open relationship with the community – and we wanted to improve this. The refinery invited local residents and NGOs to visit the site. Shell also contributed funds to local schools and health centres.

In 2003 the refinery stepped up local engagement through a programme called Creating Bonds. We held workshops to help local people understand our approach to safety and environmental risks. And Shell volunteers became directly involved in community projects. The programme has now reached over 40,000 people through more than 100 projects, designed to improve job skills, education facilities and health care.

In a 2008 survey some residents near our Rheinland refinery in Germany complained of noise and odour from the refinery – and said they did not know how to raise their concerns.

Having listened to the community the refinery made improvements in 2009, both to its operations and to the way it engages with its neighbours. It made changes to a treatment plant, and this improved local air quality. Altering a flaring system reduced noise during maintenance activities. We also invited around 600 local people on a tour of facilities. Relations between local people and Rheinland are now improving.