Shell calls for policy stability
CEO Ben van Beurden says transition investments are easier to make in a stable policy environment
A stable policy environment will help Shell invest in the UK’s low-carbon transition, says the firm’s CEO Ben van Beurden. Shell made a profit of $9.1bn in the first quarter of 2022, up from $3.2bn last year. The firm does not separate out the share of its profits made in the UK, but says it pays tax on those profits. Asked whether a windfall tax would affect its ten-year plan to invest £20-25bn ($26-33bn)—more than 75pc of which is intended for low-carbon products and services—in the UK energy system, van Beurden called for policy stability. “If there was a windfall tax on the North Sea would that affect our plans for electric vehicle charging investments? I suppose not,” says van Beurden.
Also in this section
2 January 2026
This year may be a defining one for carbon capture, utilisation and storage in the US, despite the institutional uncertainty
23 December 2025
Legislative reform in Germany sets the stage for commercial carbon capture and transport at a national level, while the UK has already seen financial close on major CCS clusters
15 December 2025
Net zero is not the problem for the UK’s power system. The real issue is with an outdated market design in desperate need of modernisation
28 November 2025
The launch of the bloc’s emissions trading system in 2005 was a pioneering step, but as the scheme hits 21 its impact as a driver of decarbonisation is still open to debate






