Royal Dutch Shell Plc

Storm-tossed U.S. offshore energy producers and exporters began clearing debris on Thursday from Hurricane Sally and booting up idle Gulf of Mexico operations after hunkering down for five days.

Shell has started ramping up production at Appomattox, its largest floating platform in the Gulf of Mexico, after it was shut due to Hurricane Sally, the company said on Thursday.

Royal Dutch Shell <RDSa.L> on Thursday said its Mobile, Alabama, chemical plant and oil refinery had minimal operational impact from Hurricane Sally and is running normally.

(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)

Storm-tossed U.S. offshore energy producers and exporters began clearing debris on Thursday from Hurricane Sally and booting up idle Gulf of Mexico operations after hunkering down for five days.

If 2020 had been anything close to a normal year, the oil and gas industry would have just wrapped up its annual gathering in Singapore, most likely reassured of its ongoing essential role in humanity's future.

More than a quarter of U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore oil and gas production remained shut by Hurricane Sally, which was moving inland on Wednesday and dumping heavy rains and cutting fuel demand in the U.S. Southeast.

Plans by European oil companies to increase their renewable power capacity are driving up the price tags on renewable businesses and projects, the CEO of British renewables and network company SSE, told Reuters.

Russia looked set to press on with the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project despite mounting Western opposition after data on Wednesday showed a Russian ship had sailed for the project's supply base in Germany.

Achieving net zero emissions by mid-century would cost an estimated $1 trillion-$2 trillion a year of additional investments, or 1-1.5% of global gross domestic product, a report by the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) said on Wednesday.

Oil refiners are permanently closing processing plants in Asia and North America and facilities in Europe could be next because of the uncertain prospects for a recovery in fuel demand after the coronavirus pandemic cut consumption.

More than a quarter of U.S. offshore Gulf of Mexico oil output was shut and export ports were closed on Tuesday as Hurricane Sally stalled just off the U.S. Gulf Coast, pelting the region with heavy rains.

Achieving net zero emissions by mid-century would cost an estimated $1 trillion-$2 trillion a year of additional investments, or 1-1.5% of global gross domestic product, a report by the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) said on Wednesday.

The economic trauma caused by the coronavirus pandemic has pushed energy companies to step-up investment in renewables, hydrogen and other low carbon alternatives, but fossil fuels will be their dominant business for the foreseeable future, industry executives said.

Hurricane Sally drew closer to the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday morning, bringing heavy rains and surging water ahead of its expected landfall as a Category 2 hurricane, with the chance of further strengthening possible.

More than one-fifth of U.S. offshore oil production was shut and key exporting ports were closed on Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Sally's landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast, the second significant hurricane to shutter oil and gas activity over the last month.

Undaunted by hefty writedowns on its Australian gas assets, Royal Dutch Shell <RDSa.L> sees its liquefied natural gas business and "new energy" acquisitions Down Under as core to its long term plans, the Australian unit's chairman said on Tuesday.

The economic trauma caused by the coronavirus pandemic persuaded energy companies to step-up investments in renewables, hydrogen and other low carbon alternatives, but fossil fuels will remain dominant for the foreseeable future, industry executives said.

Energy companies, ports and refiners raced on Monday to shut down as Hurricane Sally grew stronger while lumbering toward the central U.S. Gulf Coast, the second significant hurricane to shutter oil and gas activity over the last month.