It seems that Shell has plans afoot to explore the Arctic. The company announced it plans to resume its operations in the Arctic. There is information that works will start in summer 2015. Shell has spent almost $6 billion so far on its Arctic offshore effort.
Considerable success is hampered by extreme weather conditions, absence of infrastructure and very short drilling season. Moreover, Shell's enormous drilling rig ran aground in 2012, thus almost making the company give up its Arctic plans. Currently, Shell’s managers are going ahead and understand they need new equipment and ships being able to operate in harsh conditions.
Perhaps this would be enough to comply with Obama administration’s minimum standards for oil and gas activity in US Arctic waters. However, returning to the Arctic can be risky for the Anglo-Dutch company. It is quite likely that Shell’s decision was based on the fact that the government of Alaska had reduced taxes for oil companies.
So far, no decision has been taken and it is unlikely to be announced before 2015. Yet, taking into account the fact that Shell is accumulating equipment, signing agreements with local people, repairing its drilling rigs and providing regulators with necessary documents, it is safe to assume that Shell is once again going to try its luck in the Arctic.
