Shell needs to take “responsibility for its toxic legacy of pollution” and safely decommission its abandoned oil infrastructure before divesting from the onshore oil industry in the Niger Delta, a report on Shell’s environmental impact said.  

A report by the Somo published on 27 February criticised international companies for exiting the Niger Delta rapidly with an “inadequate” process, leaving negative environmental and human rights impacts.

On 16 January, Shell announced plans to sell its Nigerian onshore subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, to Renaissance, a consortium of five companies that includes four exploration and production companies based in Nigeria, for $2.5bn. 

According to the report, Shell’s divestment of oil assets in the Delta is “inextricably linked to the energy transition”. It cited a statement by Shell in 2020, which attributed its divestment plans to becoming a net-zero-emissions energy business by 2050. 

However, its divestment and strategic pivots in Nigeria show otherwise, Somo said. Shell’s investments are pivoting towards gas, which the report says is “part of a trend that is driving up investment in hydrocarbons even as the climate crisis worsens”.  (Offshore Technology)