(Anacortes, WA) -- Shell Puget Sound Refinery will begin final testing of the new Wet Gas Scrubber (WGS) unit in mid September. The multi-million dollar project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2006. The Wet Gas Scrubber is the final project in several million dollars in plant improvements implemented over the past five years at the refinery located on March's Point near Anacortes. The new unit, as with many of the other recent investments, is designed specifically to enhance the environmental performance of the refinery.

The operation of the Wet Gas Scrubber, unlike most plant changes, will be very visible to the community. A large water vapor plume emerging from a tall stack will be seen by observers several miles from the plant. "Because of its visibility, it is very important for the community to understand that this water vapor represents cleaner air," said Sue Krienen, general manager of Shell Puget Sound Refinery. "It is a fairly common mistake for people looking at a refinery with a wet gas scrubber to think that the steam or water vapor is air pollution or smoke, but the opposite is true. That large plume needs to be understood as a visible reminder of cleaner air."

The pollution control system is installed on the Fluid Catalytic Converter Unit (FCCU) which is one of the main gasoline producing units at the refinery. Catalyst is used as part of the refining process to "crack" molecules to produce refined gasoline from crude oil. A natural result of this chemical exchange is the emission of SO2 (sulfur dioxide) as well as some catalyst particles. The Wet Gas Scrubber works by passing those emissions through a water solution to remove the SO2 and catalyst particulates. The SO2 and particulates are then removed from the water before it is vented into the atmosphere.

Previously, Shell Puget Sound Refinery had installed an electrostatic precipitator which effectively removed most of the particulate material, but it did not reduce SO2 emissions. Since the WGS effectively removes both particulates and SO2, the electrostatic precipitator is no longer needed and has been removed as part of the construction process.

The Wet Gas Scrubber joins the Flare Gas Recovery Unit as two final culminating construction projects at the refinery which included a low sulfur gasoline project, ultra low sulfur diesel fuel project, an isomerization unit project, and a sulfur recovery project. All of these projects were aimed at enabling the refinery to produce products in compliance with new clean fuels legislation or designed to improve the refinery's environmental performance. None of the projects resulted in increased production levels. The Flare Gas Recovery Unit, which began operation earlier this summer, effectively reduces the amount of flaring that is visible to the community.

The completion of these projects was celebrated in a Community Open House on Saturday, August 26 in which an estimated 3500 visitors from the community visited the refinery. Many of those visitors saw the new units by taking a 40-minute bus tour through the operating units of the refinery. "This was a wonderful way for us to celebrate the years of planning, construction and extra work involved in implementing these changes," commented Krienen. "We are so pleased that the community is showing such strong interest and support. It is very important for all of us at the refinery to know that the community is behind us as we continue to invest for the future. And it is also important that the community sees for itself the excellent work being performed by our outstanding team of professionals."

The WGS project, along with other environmental projects, evolved out of the Consent Decree in a 2001 settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency and Northwest Clean Air Agency over disputed claims about environmental emissions. Shell purchased the refinery in 2002.

Shell Oil Company, including its consolidated companies and its share in equity companies, is one of America's leading oil and natural gas producers, natural gas marketers, gasoline marketers and petrochemical manufacturers. Shell, a leading oil and gas producer in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, is a recognized pioneer in oil and gas exploration and production technology.  Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Shell Group, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies, employing approximately 109,000 people and operating in more than 140 countries and territories.

 
Disclaimer statement:
This announcement contains forward-looking statements, that are subject to risk factors associated with the oil, gas, power, chemicals and renewables business. It is believed that the expectations reflected in these statements are reasonable, but may be affected by a variety of variables which could cause actual results, trends or reserves replacement to differ materially, including, but not limited to: price fluctuations, actual demand, currency fluctuations, drilling and production results, reserve estimates, loss of market, industry competition, environmental risks, physical risks, risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets and the successful negotiation and consummation of transactions, the risk of doing business in developing countries, legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including potential litigation and regulatory effects arising from recategorisation of reserves, economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions, political risks, project delay or advancement, approvals and cost estimates.

Please refer to the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2005 (as amended) for a description of certain important factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect the Shell Group's businesses.  Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any member of the Shell Group undertakes any obligation to publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events or other information.

Cautionary Note to US Investors: 
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission ('SEC') permits oil and gas companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only proved reserves that a company has demonstrated by actual production or conclusive formation tests to be economically and legally producible under existing economic and operating conditions.  We use certain terms in this presentation, such as "expected producible resources" and "amount of reserves we expect to produce", that the SEC's guidelines strictly prohibit us from including in filings with the SEC.

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