Shell Plc (SHEL)

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Green groups reject Shell’s plans to abandon North Sea structures

Environmental groups criticize Royal Dutch Shell’s (RDS.A, RDS.B) plans related to the decommissioning of the company’s four platforms at the Brent field in the North Sea.

Shell wants to leave behind the concrete and steel structures that support the field’s platforms plus other materials such as drill cuttings contaminated with oil, which would be costly and difficult to remove, but eight groups including World Wildlife Foundation, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth say Shell provided “insufficient information” to support its case.

The environmentalists’ response is considered a blow to Shell, as the Brent field - the biggest North Sea project to be decommissioned so far - is considered a test case for the industry.