Shell's Toxic Legacy in Niger Delta Exposed: $10.9B Clean-Up Liability

A new report by Amnesty International has exposed decades of pollution and environmental damage in Nigeria's Niger Delta, caused by Shell's operations. The report analyzed internal company documents that revealed years of infrastructure failures, weak oversight, and unresolved clean-up liabilities. According to the report, Shell was aware of ageing and leaking infrastructure, including an old pipeline internally described as a 'basket' because of concerns over its condition.

Shell continued oil production despite warnings about possible environmental consequences. The report estimated that Shell internally calculated the cost of decommissioning its Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) assets in Nigeria at about $10.9 billion, excluding additional clean-up expenses.

The report highlighted several cases of pipeline failures and alleged oil theft concerns. It also found that Shell exempted its Nigerian subsidiary, SPDC, from some global health and safety standards to enable oil production to continue through pipelines affected by interference and integrity concerns.