Our businesses and organisation

Business model

Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with 83,000 employees in more than 70 countries.

We have expertise in the exploration, production, refining and marketing of oil and natural gas, and the manufacturing and marketing of chemicals.

We use advanced technologies and take an innovative approach to help build a sustainable energy future. We also invest in power, including from low-carbon sources such as wind and solar, and new fuels for transport, such as advanced biofuels and hydrogen.

We seek to create shareholder value by:

• exploring for crude oil and natural gas worldwide;
• developing new crude oil and natural gas supplies from major fields and extracting bitumen from oil sands;
• cooling natural gas to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) and converting gas to liquids (GTL);
• supplying and trading oil, gas and other energy-related products, such as electricity and carbon-emission rights; and
• having a portfolio of refineries and chemical plants producing a wide range of products including gasoline, diesel, aviation and marine fuel, lubricants and petrochemicals.

The integration of our businesses is one of our competitive advantages, allowing for optimisations across our global portfolio.

Shell business activities

Exploration

• 1. Exploring for oil and gas onshore and offshore

Development and extraction

• 2. Developing onshore and offshore fields
• 3. Producing conventional, deep-water and shale oil and gas
• 4. Capturing carbon dioxide and storing it safely underground
• 5. Extracting bitumen

Manufacturing and energy production

• 6. Upgrading bitumen
• 7. Refining oil into fuels and lubricants
• 8.Producing gas-to-liquids (GTL) products
• 9. Producing petrochemicals
• 10. Producing biofuels
• 11. Generating renewable power
• 12.Producing liquefied natural gas (LNG)

Transport and trading

• 13. Shipping gas to where it is needed
• 14. Shipping oil to where it is needed
• 15. Trading oil and gas
• 16. Supply and distribution of LNG for transport applications
• 17. Regasifying LNG
• 18. Trading power

Sales and marketing

• 19. Supplying domestic electricity
• 20. Supplying products to businesses, including gas for cooking, heating and electrical power
• 21. Progressing electric vehicle and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure
• 22. Providing mobility solutions for customers, including fuels and lubricants
• 23. Supplying aviation fuel

Technical and business services

• 24. Researching and developing new technology solutions
• 25. Managing the delivery of major projects
• 26. Providing technical and supporting services

Shell business activities

Integrated Gas and New Energies

Integrated Gas manages LNG activities and the conversion of natural gas into GTL fuels and other products. It includes natural gas exploration and extraction, and the operation of upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver gas to market. It markets and trades natural gas, LNG, electricity and carbon-emission rights and also markets and sells LNG as a fuel for heavy-duty vehicles and marine vessels.

In New Energies, we are exploring emerging opportunities and investing in those where we believe sufficient commercial value is available. We focus on new fuels for transport, such as advanced biofuels, hydrogen and charging for battery-electric vehicles, and power, including from natural gas and low-carbon sources such as wind and solar.

Upstream

Our Upstream organisation manages the exploration for and extraction of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. It also markets and transports oil and gas, and operates infrastructure necessary to deliver them to market.

Downstream

Our Downstream organisation manages different Oil Products and Chemicals activities as part of an integrated value chain that trades and refines crude oil and other feedstocks into a range of products that are moved and marketed around the world for domestic, industrial and transport use. The products we sell include gasoline, diesel, heating oil, aviation fuel, marine fuel, biofuel, lubricants, bitumen and sulphur. We also produce and sell petrochemicals for industrial use worldwide. Our Downstream organisation also manages Oil Sands activities (the extraction of bitumen from mined oil sands and its conversion into synthetic crude oil).

Projects & Technology

Our Projects & Technology organisation manages the delivery of our major projects and drives research and innovation to develop new technology solutions. It provides technical services and technology capability for our Integrated Gas, Upstream and Downstream activities. It is also responsible for providing functional leadership across Shell in the areas of safety and environment, contracting and procurement, wells activities and greenhouse gas (GHG) management.

Segmental reporting

Our reporting segments are Integrated Gas, Upstream, Downstream and Corporate. Upstream combines the operating segments Upstream (managed by our Upstream organisation) and Oil Sands (managed by our Downstream organisation), which have similar economic characteristics. Integrated Gas, Upstream and Downstream include their respective elements of our Projects & Technology organisation. The Corporate segment comprises our holdings and treasury organisation, self-insurance activities, and headquarters and central functions.

With effect from 2020, our reporting segments were amended with the change in the way the CEO reviews and assesses performance of the group and consist of Integrated Gas, Upstream, Oil Products, Chemicals and Corporate.