The Royal Dutch/Shell Group has announced an endowment of US $250 million for the Shell Foundation, which was established in June 2000 as a UK-registered non-profit organisation. The purpose of the Foundation is to partner non-profit-making organisations, local Shell companies and others, in support of social and environmental projects around the world.

This significant contribution is the next stage in implementing the decision, taken in 1999, to create an international foundation that will enhance the Group's contribution to sustainable development.

The endowment will be invested to produce income from which the Foundation will fund its programmes. The target is an annual programme fund of US $25 million.

Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies, said, "The Shell Foundation is a further way in which we are tackling the challenge, both as a global Group and as a multitude of local Shell companies, of getting to grips with sustainable development and helping others to do the same.

"In our 1999 Shell Report, we announced our intention to establish an international programme that would tackle a number of key social and environmental issues where our industry has a particular role to play and a responsibility to do so. In 2000, we announced and launched the Foundation. Now we are fulfilling our commitment through an endowment. This ensures the Foundation's long-term security and the certainty that it will be a significant contributor to addressing sustainable development issues for the foreseeable future."

Tim Hollins, Director of the Shell Foundation, says, "Our aim is to help tackle the issues in which energy industry has a responsibility and a role to play. It is also to act as a bridge outwards to communities and public interest organisations, to understand their objectives and encourage partnerships - and to reach inwards, across Shell companies around the world, to engage the expertise and enthusiasm of Shell people."

This spring, Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman of the Committee of Managing Directors of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies, announced record fourth quarter and full year results - up 85 per cent at US $13.1 billion on an adjusted CCS basis - with all businesses delivering results in 2000 ahead of targets for 2001. He said, "At the end of 1998 we set out our programme to restore Shell to full health by the end of 2001. I am proud to say that we have more than achieved this recovery and faster than planned."

He continued, "We are fully aware of the impact that the combination of high crude prices and high excise duties and taxes on fuel can cause to our customers. We do not control either of these factors but, where we can, through higher efficiencies and better service, we are helping to alleviate the pressure on customers.

"The oil price has helped us in our upstream results, but more important is that the efforts of the last two years have produced a powerful underlying improvement in performance. The strong cash flow resulting from all this is supporting a dividend increased in excess of inflation and a significant share buy-back programme that we are starting immediately."

He concluded, "The key to shareholder value is a strong portfolio, best in class operational performance and sustainable business growth. I am confident that Shell can continue to deliver all three to the benefit not only of our shareholders, but also of our customers and our employees."

"Wind energy is set to be a major new offshore industry of the next generation," said David Jones, the new Executive Vice President of Shell Renewables Wind Energy Business, in an address to delegates at a conference entitled 'Creating An All-Energy Future', held in Aberdeen in Scotland this spring.

He went on to say, "Just as Shell has played a pioneering role in oil and gas exploration and production, we believe that by applying Shell's world-class commercial, technical and financial capabilities to large and challenging projects we can become a major player in the global wind energy sector.

"The potential for renewable energy is enormous. In time, with improvement in technology and the increasing need for sustainable development, renewables could emulate the rise of oil 100 years ago when it overtook coal and wood as the primary fuel source.

"Wind energy could very well be at the forefront of that development. Wind is the most competitive of the renewable energy sources when comparing costs with conventional fuels," he said. "Furthermore, wind energy production is expected to increase rapidly as it moves offshore to achieve wind farms of greater scale.

"This also means that the United Kingdom's offshore industry, based in Aberdeen in Scotland, is uniquely positioned to assume a world leading role in its implementation," he concluded.

The Royal Dutch/Shell Group has embarked on a project to standardise desktop computing, telecommunications and the IT support environment in approximately 1,000 Shell locations - up to 90,000 desktops in over 135 countries worldwide.

The Shell Group Infrastructure (GI) Project will provide truly global, standard PC infrastructure and support, enabling all Shell companies to increase the range and reach of their operations, embark on new ways of working, and firmly position the Group for the world of e-business.

"Shell will be breaking new ground with this GI Project. We are the first major company to undertake a full migration of this technical depth and global breadth," said Harry Roels, a Managing Director of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies.

"By implementing a Group Infrastructure that is standardised throughout the world, we are taking a critical next step in preparing our organisation to compete successfully in the future. It will improve the stability and performance of our desktop computing and telecommunications systems while lowering the Group's total cost of ownership, and will result in a platform than enables better ways of doing business globally."

Shell Services International (SSI), the Group's IT services company, is delivering the project and has just signed a multi-million dollar contract with Getronics to assist in the delivery and support of the new infrastructure over the next three years.

Shell Chimie SA has announced the sale of Raigi SAS, a company which manufactures epoxy and urethane resins systems, to the existing management. The management group, led by General Manager Jean-Louis Barriol, completed the buy-out of the company in January.

Raigi SAS is based at its manufacturing site to the South of Paris, France. The company, which has been part of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group since 1989, has 70 employees and an annual turnover of about US $10 million.

Raigi SAS manufactures a wide range of epoxy and urethane resins systems for electrical appliances, sealants, adhesives and elastomers, as well as some finished moulded polyurethane items.