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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Royal Dutch Shell PLC will move forward with drilling off Alaska’s northwest coast if it can obtain permits it needs and drill safely, its chief executive officer said Thursday.
Speaking in London on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings, Ben van Beurden said Shell will move forward with its plan to use two drill vessels in the Chukchi Sea, subject to getting permits and legal clearance. “There’s a few other challenges that are being worked, that can — again — hold us up this year,” he said.
Drilling off Alaska’s shore is strongly opposed by environmental groups and some Alaska Native groups, which contend the industry has not demonstrated it can clean up a spill in ice-choked, cold waters.
