Shell holds the largest equity share of LNG capacity amongst international oil companies (IOCs) and holds a leading position in the world's key natural gas markets of Europe, US and Asia-Pacific. As a pioneer of the industry, we have set the pace in developing LNG technology and establishing the safety of LNG operations and shipping standards used throughout the industry.
We have over 40 years experience producing and shipping LNG from Australia, Brunei, Oman, Malaysia and Nigeria, to the three key markets of Asia, Europe and North America, where demand for natural gas is growing fast. To meet this demand, Shell has equity in five LNG production units (trains) under construction, in Qatar, Nigeria, Australia and Sakhalin Island. The Sakhalin II project is the largest infrastructure project in Russia involves crude oil, natural gas and LNG production and export. The project is well positioned as a LNG supply source for growing markets in the Asia Pacific region including Japan. All of these operations are joint ventures with governments or local and international partners.

Shell is a leader in GTL technology. Shell has unparalleled operating and marketing experience through the first commercial, low-temperature, GTL plant in Malaysia. Shell's GTL fuel is available at retail sites in Europe and Thailand as a premium diesel blend. Shell's proprietary GTL process, also known as Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis - SMDS, uses a much more active and selective catalyst than earlier processes, which enables the production of a range of finely tailored liquid fuels in a fully commercialised system.
In July 2006, Qatar Petroleum and Shell announced the launch of the world-scale integrated Pearl GTL project, the largest energy project ever to be executed within the borders of Qatar. The Pearl GTL project includes the development of offshore natural gas resources in Qatar's North Field, transporting and processing the gas to extract natural gas liquids and ethane, and the conversion of the remaining gas into high quality liquid hydrocarbon products through the construction of the world's largest integrated GTL complex in Ras Laffan Industrial City.

Shell has almost 30 years of experience in developing and using coal gasification. A step-out from the oil gasification process, which Shell developed in the 1950's, coal gasification technology has been proven in three pilots in the Netherlands, Germany and the USA, and in Nuon's full-scale Buggenum plant (2000 tonnes/day coal capacity) in the Netherlands. The Buggenum plant uses syngas from coal gasification in a combined cycle plant to generate electricity. We have had significant success in licensing our coal gasification technology in recent years, with more than 15 licenses sold worldwide.