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Shell Onshore Tight Sand/Shale Oil & Gas Operating Principles
We are sharing our global onshore principles to address concerns around the development of onshore tight sand/shale oil and gas, specifically with regard to the practice of hydraulic fracturing. Shell believes it can explore, develop and produce these resources safely and responsibly.
"At Shell, we believe onshore exploration and production can and must occur in an environmentally responsible manner. Anything less is unacceptable." Director, Upstream Americas, Shell
Shell has a set of five aspirational global onshore tight sand/shale oil and gas operating principles that we believe provide a framework for protecting water, air, wildlife and the communities in which we operate. We aim to have all Shell-operated projects where hydraulic fracturing is used for the development of tight sand/shale oil and gas to adhere to the five principles, but we will also consider each project independently--from the geology to the surrounding environment and communities--and design our activities using state-of-the-art technology and innovative approaches that make the most sense for local conditions.
Shell also participates in a number of joint-venture operations across the globe, where it does not maintain operational control. When participating in a joint venture not under Shell control, we will encourage the operator of the joint venture to adopt similar operating principles.
For assets we acquire from third parties where we are the operator, we will assess the compliance of such operations against these principles. We aim to apply these principles to such assets on a "go-forward" basis as feasible and reasonably practicable. We will communicate our performance against these principles.
Our principles are underpinned by a deliberate focus on safety, continuous improvement, collaboration with regulators and engagement with local residents where
we strive to be open and transparent about how we operate and the impacts of our activities. We support regulations consistent with these principles which are designed to reduce risks to the environment and keep those living near our operations safe.
As new technologies, challenges and regulatory requirements emerge, we plan to periodically review and update these principles. Following are the five operating principles with examples under each illustrating Shell’s ongoing responsible development in specific locations. These examples are still aspirational in some locations and thus are not yet applicable to operations around the globe unless explicitly listed as Worldwide.
