Shell Development Oman awards further “Solar into Schools” contracts to Omani SME

The solar PV generation systems for both schools will be fitted with leading edge PV technology, which will see the first use of bifacial solar PV panels in Oman. Bifacial PV solar modules differ from conventional PV modules in that bifacial modules are designed to allow light to enter from both sides, enabling even more solar energy to be captured and turned into electricity.   

Currently Shell has successfully completed three solar schools in Nizwa, Al-Buraimi and Salalah and even more solar schools are planned for 2018. With the addition of the two latest sites, the Solar into Schools programme will see five sites operational by mid-2018. In addition to the three schools that have been already completed as well as the two that are in progress, a further three solar school sites are also currently in the planning pipeline and it is anticipated that these additional sites will be the subject of a further announcement.

The Solar into Schools programme is one of Shell’s 5th Gift to the Nation initiatives in which Shell has collaborated with the Ministry of Education and local SMEs to install solar PV generation systems into 22 public schools across the Sultanate over a 5-year period. The project has now reached a new phase of its development after the successful completion of its pilot phase with three schools in Al Buraimi, Salalah and Nizwa.

Through the ‘Solar into Schools’ programme, Shell aims to aid the development of Omani SMEs through creating new opportunities and building platforms to develop small scale projects which will benefit the economy in the long run.  The Solar into Schools project will also capture the interest the Omani youth towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programmes.

“We have recently trained around 20 more young Omani entrepreneurs on solar technology and the related health, safety and regulatory considerations”, said Chris Breeze, Shell’s Country Chairman for Oman.

Mr. Breeze added that, “2017 also saw our very first Omani female solar PV engineers emerge, demonstrating that new energy technologies can also provide viable career pathways for Omani men and women alike, as has the oil and gas industry. I’m glad to see the Solar into Schools programme really gaining momentum and at the same time capturing the interest of Omani youth. In the near future, we also plan to bring a bespoke and exciting educational programme to the students and teachers of the solar schools to further embed how innovation and energy can help Oman manage its energy future, while creating new jobs for Omani youth. Dr Firas of HTC has shown passion, competence and dedication with the installations of the first two solar schools his company undertook and we look forward to working with HTC again in this phase.”

About Shell’s Gift to The Nation initiative:

• Gift to the Nation is a tradition initiated by Shell in 1995 – the 25th anniversary of Oman’s Renaissance – to launch every 5 years a new project that carries a small further contribution to the development of Oman’s society and economy
• Shell’s Gift to the Nation projects are selected very carefully, with the involvement of experts from Shell and other external professionals with good knowledge of Oman and experience in dealing with matters of social investment
• The individual projects are structured in a way that allows us to see through the process of their implementation, and steer them towards realisation of the objectives developed for them
   

For media enquiries contact:

Mr. Nureddin Wefati
Head of Media Relations for Middle East & North Africa
Shell EP International
Tel: +971 4 705 5347
Cell: +971 56 216 2409
Nureddin.Wefati@Shell.com

Mr. Hassan Almarashi
Spokesperson Middle East & North Africa
Shell EP International Ltd
Tel:   +971 4 705 5783
Cell: +971 56 226 0924
Hassan.Almarashi@Shell.com
 

Cautionary note

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement “Shell”, “Shell group” and “Royal Dutch Shell” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this announcement refer to companies over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as “joint ventures” and “joint operations” respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as “associates”. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in a venture, partnership or company, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ‘‘anticipate’’, ‘‘believe’’, ‘‘could’’, ‘‘estimate’’, ‘‘expect’’, ‘‘goals’’, ‘‘intend’’, ‘‘may’’, ‘‘objectives’’, ‘‘outlook’’, ‘‘plan’’, ‘‘probably’’, ‘‘project’’, ‘‘risks’’, “schedule”, ‘‘seek’’, ‘‘should’’, ‘‘target’’, ‘‘will’’ and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this announcement, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. There can be no assurance that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this announcement. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell’s 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2016 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward looking statements contained in this announcement and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement 3 January 2018. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this announcement that United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.