The borrowing binge of the past few years explains why people are having to shell out so much even though interest rates are still far lower than in the early 1990s.

ECONOMIST: Economic prospects

Or it can produce chemical feedstocks, at a lower cost than natural gas, as at the 15 gasification plants being built, using Shell technology, in China.

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Shell says it's working at far less depth and lower pressures than the BP well that erupted off Louisiana, destroying the Deepwater Horizon drill rig and killing 11 men aboard.

CNN: Ice floe halts Shell's new Arctic well

Shell says it's working at far less depth and lower pressures than the BP well that erupted off Louisiana, killing 11 men aboard and unleashing an undersea gusher that took three months to cap.

CNN: Alaska drilling rig towed to harbor off Kodiak Island

Shell says it's working at far less depth and lower pressures than the BP well that erupted nearly a mile beneath the Gulf, killing 11 men on board a rig and unleashing an undersea gusher that took three months to cap.

CNN: Shell halts Arctic drill plans for 2013

However, shares in Shell fell more than 1% after the release of the results, with the profit figures coming in lower than analysts' expectations.

BBC: Royal Dutch Shell profits hit by oil price volatility

In China, Shell technology is at the center of 15 coal gasification plants being built to produce chemical feedstocks at a lower cost than using natural gas.

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