Arctic regions
We do not plan to pursue new frontier oil exploration leases in the Arctic.
Shell ended offshore exploration drilling operations in Alaska in 2015. We hold one licence interest in the North Slope area of Alaska. In 2020, we received regulatory approval to combine our near-shore leases in West Harrison Bay into a single unit and we are currently seeking a co-owner to operate the unit. We also hold several licences from our previous activities in the Canadian Arctic, although we do not plan to develop these licences.
In Norway, Shell is a 10% partner in Irpa, an offshore natural gas discovery in the Norwegian Sea, which is ice-free all year round. Irpa is planed as a tie-in to existing infrastructure that already supplies natural gas to the Nyhamna gas plant, south of the Arctic, where Shell is responsible for significant supplies of gas to Europe.
