ALUMNINEWS PUBLISHED FOR SHELL ALUMNI IN THE AMERICAS | WWW.SHELL.US/ALUMNI MARCH 2012 SHARING PROCESSING DEDICATION TO TALENTS MARCELLUS ETHANE SAFETY Shell alumnus shares Shell’s cracker project Shell contractor pitches business experience with moves forward. HSE safety rules to fellow university students. energy company. MAKING WAY FOR WILDLIFE NEW WILDLIFE CROSSING IN NORTHERN ALBERta, PAGE 5 2 SHELL NEWS ALUMNINEWS S AlumniNews is published for Shell Americas. Editors Destin Singleton and Bob Blakey, Shell Communications Writer/copy editor Susan Diemont-Conwell, Torma Communications NT Design Shell Creative Services E A WORD FROM OUR Shell Human Resources EDITORS Pam Pfeiffer and Stephanie Jenkin On the cover: Chelsie Hoff (left) and Nicolette Stanley at the wildlife The year has gotten off to a busy start at crossing. Shell. We’re continuing to progress projects from 2011 and have a lot of activities This publication is printed on 100% recycled paper. still in store! In this issue of AlumniNews magazine, we’re celebrating the arrival GO GREEN! of our first shipment of gas-to-liquid base Sign up to receive the newsletter electronically by oil to the U.S. from our Pearl GTL plant in visiting www.shell.us/alumni. While you’re there, Qatar and sharing how Shell is helping read the latest news and information about Shell. communities impacted by natural disasters CONT to rebuild. A wildlife crossing in northern Alberta is proving it’s a success and the Shell Marcellus cracker project is moving HIGHLIGHTS forward. In our alumni section, read about how one alumnus is sharing his career Cracker project progresses Project team moves Shell Marcellus cracker project forward. experience with university students and how 03 two alumni in British Columbia keep Shell’s alumni association active and energized. Make sure to check out the regional section First GTL reaches U.S. of the magazine where you can find First shipment of gas-to-liquid base oil from Shell’s Pearl GTL plant 03 updates on alumni activities and regional arrives at Port of Houston. news of interest. If you haven’t seen us online, visit the Shell alumni site at www. shell.us/alumni for the latest news on Shell, Innovation in application helpful links, phone numbers and forms and Shell app for iPads gives glimpse “inside energy.” 04 even back issues of AlumniNews magazine. As always, send comments and suggested alumni feature stories by mail or by Upcoming LNG terminal emailing us at [email protected]. 04 Shell purchases property in British Columbia. Enjoy! Destin Singleton and Bob Blakey A path of their own Editors, AlumniNews magazine 05 Alberta animal crossing proves effective. YOU ASKED. WE DELIVERED! Visit www.shell.us/alumni for After the headlines fade everything alumni. 06 Shell, Motiva support extends long after disaster strikes. Need forms? Want back issues of AlumniNews magazine? Visit our Shell alumni website for helpful links and phone numbers and the latest news on Shell. A life-saving pitch 12 Shell contractor pitches HSE safety rules to neighboring energy We will continue to expand the site company. throughout the year. Drop us a line at [email protected] to give us feedback and tell us what you’d like to see Sharing their talents on the site. 13 Retirees at helm of oldest alumni association in Canada. SHELL NEWS 3 CRACKER PROJECT PROGRESSES Growing team moves Shell Marcellus cracker project forward Shell’s Marcellus cracker project is and revenue it would bring,” says Todd both PE as well as mono-ethylene gaining steam. Led by Dan Carlson, Whittemore, site selection lead. glycol, since market studies indicate Shell Chemicals general manager, “Our meetings with the governors have future growth in regional demand. New Business Development-Americas, been productive and we hope to select the project team is progressing forward a preferred site soon.” “We expect the U.S. polyethylene through the assess phase of the project, market to grow in the coming years, which will determine the location of the Midstream plan so that by the time this cracker is site, midstream strategy and derivatives As an integrated upstream-downstream onstream, the demand would have slate. project, the midstream plan will be increased from 15 million tons per year critical in mapping out the most efficient to 18 million tons. Our proposed facility The world-scale ethylene cracker will means of gathering, processing and is in the heartland of PE consumption, process ethane from the Marcellus extracting ethane from the “wet” gas. with 50 percent of the U.S. market shale gas play to produce ethylene— within 700 miles. This is a great one of the primary ingredients in “Our view of robust rich gas solutions opportunity to position Shell as a local petrochemicals. Using integrated includes several components and would supplier relative to current Gulf Coast derivative units, the company would therefore be flexible and reliable for the suppliers,” says Victoria Meyer, then process the ethylene into chemical upstream industry,” says Ed Simpson, manager of PE. building blocks, such as polyethylene who heads the midstream supply (PE), an important raw material in a workstream. “This includes local “This project is very exciting as it huge variety of consumer products. processing and fractionating, methane presents a fantastic opportunity for gas takeaways, access to high-value Shell to demonstrate effective and The site of the cracker has been markets for C3+ molecules, disposition replicable integration across the narrowed to three states: Pennsylvania, of ethane as feedstock for the local gas-to-chemicals value chain. Ohio and West Virginia. “Local leaders ethylene cracker and as fuel for the This should return optimal value as we have shown great interest in having us local power plants.” In addition to an develop our wet gas acreage,” says build our cracker plant in their region, ethane cracker, the site would include Paul Ayoub, who heads the Project as they can see the jobs, infrastructure derivative units. The team is considering Management Office. FIRST GTL REACHES U.S. In November, the first shipment of Americas. “This new base oil is needs from internal sources. gas-to-liquid (GTL) base oil from another clear example of Shell Compared with typical base oils, Shell’s Qatar-based Pearl GTL plant Lubricants’ commitment to using which are refined from crude oil, GTL arrived at the Port of Houston. The technology and innovation to meet base oils represent an alternative product will be stored at a hub in the growing demand for premium starting point for the manufacture of Houston and routed to Shell motor oils and to sustain our position finished lubricants. Within the range Lubricants’ GTL-enabled blending as the world’s leading marketer of of commercially available base oils, facilities throughout the U.S. finished lubricants.” Group III oils have a high viscosity index, low volatility and good Shell Lubricants will use Pearl GTL The world’s largest gas-to-liquids low-temperature fluidity and are often base oil, a high-quality Group III plant, Pearl GTL, which is located in used to make synthetic motor oils. base oil, in the manufacturing of its Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar, is a Shell GTL base oil usage will be an premium motor oils. Group III base partnership between Shell and Qatar essentially invisible change to Shell oils are the foundation for formulating Petroleum. The plant uses natural gas Lubricants’ existing premium next-generation oils that address from Qatar’s North Field to manu- formulations, although in some cases, needs for improved energy efficiency, facture high-quality base oils and lubricants using GTL base oil may longer equipment life and reduced other GTL products. Once the Pearl appear lighter in color. maintenance costs. GTL plant is operating at full capacity, it will be one of the world’s On November 22, 2011, the “The arrival of the first shipment of largest sources of lubricant base oils massive Pearl GTL project was GTL base oil to the Americas is an with the capacity to produce about officially inaugurated by His extremely exciting event for Shell 30,000 barrels per day, enough to Highness the Emir of Qatar in a Lubricants and our customers,” says fill 225 million cars per year. Shell celebration of dignitaries, customers, Lisa Davis, president, Shell will be the only oil major capable of partners and representative staff from Commercial Fuels and Lubricants, meeting all of its Group III base oil both Shell and Qatar Petroleum. 4 SHELL NEWS INNOVATION IN APPLICATION Shell app for iPads gives glimpse ‘inside energy’ Get the bigger picture from a smaller Marianne Boersman, who was “There are images of the cook stoves picture. Shell recently released involved in the development of the and a video about them on the app, INSIDE ENERGY, an application for app. “There are ‘hotspots’ at but we’ve also created what we call the Apple iPad®. The app shares different depths where you can click an ‘exploded model,’ which allows information on several innovative on things and find out what’s going you to take all the different elements Shell projects designed to produce on there. Cameras at different depths in the stove apart and get a better cleaner energy supplies and better, monitor the equipment to make sure idea of what happens inside it,” more efficient products. it’s all working, but they also pick up Boersman explains. footage of marine life that you don’t Making use of the interactive and see very often, such as sharks and More interactive, animated graphics multimedia capabilities of the iPad®, large squid. It’s all available to are used to show how Shell produces users can journey 8,000 feet (2,450 watch on there.” bioethanol from sugar cane.