Origin with its strong Gas and electricity retails customers 4M plus and it LNG gas through APLNG would be the perfect fit for Shell.
See below article from the other day.
Global energy giant Royal Dutch Shell is considering a move to break into Australia's domestic retail energy market to take on the established players of Origin Energy, AGL Energy and EnergyAustralia in what could be the biggest shake-up of the energy market in decades.
While Shell's new east coast trading business is focused on big industrial customers, Shell's global director of integrated gas, Maarten Wetselaar, said a move to offer a service for retail customers was the next logical step to match their business in the United Kingdom.
Shell last year
bought energy and broadband company First Utility in the UK as part of a push to take on the big six energy retailers in the UK. Although it is early days, the company is eyeing off a similar move into Australia's retail market, a move which could involve the purchase or takeover of a smaller energy retailer to give it a foothold to take on the major players.
"We see real opportunities to disrupt existing market structures wherever we go because we come at it from a different perspective - an energy trading perspective and large gas supplier," Mr Wetselaar told The Australian Financial Review.
"The incumbents have strong positions but they do not necessarily have the lowest costs or are as sophisticated in trading or digital market capabilities and their IT platforms are often from the wrong century. We see ourselves as being able to disrupt existing systems in countries and I don't think we'll settle for less as we try it here."
The Shell energy trading business in Australia, which mirrors similar programs in the United States, Canada, China, India and Brazil was launched in July last year. They currently have 12 big industrial gas customers, but are eying a move into the lucrative domestic retail market in Australia.
"We want a much bigger business and a business that will extend into serving companies and who knows, in the fullness of time, retail customers with these products. We have customers who know the Shell brand well and we are very confident local organisations can scale up that business," Mr Wetselaar said.
"We've always been large traders of power in the big markets like the United States and Europe but we're starting to become more sophisticated and closer to the customers. North-west Europe, North America and Australia are the three territories where we want to drive this business the fastest."
Mr Wetselaar said there was no specific timeframe on moving into the retail electricity market and it would depend on the success of the commercial and industrial energy trading business.
Shell Australia chairwoman Zoe Yujnovich said it would be crucial to offer a "differentiated product" from the incumbent energy retailers to win over new customers in Australia.
"We have seen opportunities to improve the efficiencies in the Australian market, from across the wholesale and retail markets," Ms Yujnovich said.
In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Wetselaar and Ms Yujnovich said Shell would be spending about $1 billion a year in on-going investments in Australia on both the east and west coast projects.
This included on the Prelude floating LNG project, 200 kilometres off the coast of Western Australia, which is expected to deliver first gas later this year despite a busier than usual cyclone season.
"Things have been progressing well, but we would like less cyclones," Ms Yujnovich said. "It's something we knew about but it's now a logistical complexity that's a bit of a spanner in the works. Things are otherwise tracking well so we'll be otherwise looking forward to celebrating formal opening of Prelude towards the back end of the year."
Mr Wetselaar also
backed the $US20.5 billion Browse joint venture with Woodside, China National Petroleum Corporation, BP and Japan Australia LNG Pty Ltd (MIMI) as a priority project as backfill for the North-west Shelf saying there had been "significant improvements in its competitive development case".
"We are pleased to see it continuing to look attractive. We see Browse to the North-west Shelf as the primary avenue for development. That's consistent with Woodside's view and across the Browse venture," he said.
"More than 30 years after it was discovered, it's about time the molecules start flowing. It's still a while from an investment decision but on the timeframe that Browse has been on it's pretty close."
Ms Yujnovich said prices on the east coast gas market had eased since late last year adding it was possible to have a thriving export market as well as extra gas into the domestic market.
"Overall, I think there is enough gas to supply both our export and domestic customers," she said. "The greatest challenge in Australia tends to be about placing the gas in the right place at the right time."
Read more:
http://www.afr.com/news/politics/sh...rs-in-australia-20180325-h0xyfq#ixzz5BfLK1n9t
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