Energy giant Shell has reported its highest ever quarterly profits as oil and gas prices surge around the world.
Shell made $9.13bn (£7.3bn) in the first three months of the year, nearly triple its $3.2bn profit it announced for the same period last year. But the firm said pulling out of Russian oil and gas due to the Ukraine conflict had cost it $3.9bn (£3.1bn).
On Tuesday, rival BP also reported a sharp rise in profit, but the UK has so far ruled out a windfall tax.
The invasion of Ukraine has helped oil and gas prices skyrocket. Russia is one of the world’s major exporters but Western nations have pledged to cut their dependence on the country for energy.
Oil prices were already rising before the Ukraine war as economies started to recover from the Covid pandemic.
Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden said the war in Ukraine had caused “significant disruption to global energy markets”.
“The impacts of this uncertainty and the higher cost that comes with it are being felt far and wide.
“We have been engaging with governments, our customers and suppliers to work through the challenging implications and provide support and solutions where we can.”
Shell rivals, including BP and TotalEnergies have also reported a sharp rise in underlying profits.
Norway’s Equinor, which supplies a quarter of the UK’s gas, also posted record earnings on Wednesday.
Source: bbc.com
