The national finals of the “2025 Future Energy Leaders Program” have officially concluded.

This competition is open to 68 top universities across China and encourages the younger generation to submit innovative business plans. Speaking about the initiative’s original intent, Tony Nunan, Chief of Staff at Shell, said: “Shell believes that the future of energy lies in the hands of young people who dare to innovate. They possess creativity, digital expertise, and interdisciplinary thinking. Our goal is to inspire and empower the younger generation to come up with cutting-edge ideas and business concepts. Through deep engagement with university students, we aim to enhance their understanding of the energy industry, foster cross-disciplinary exchanges, and build a strong talent pool to support China’s energy transition.”

Pang Guanglian, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, further emphasized: “The ‘Chinese solution’ for energy transition needs to be written by generations of young people. The Federation, together with companies such as Shell, is establishing an ‘industry-academia-research-application’ platform to facilitate the alignment of innovative achievements with industry needs, organize practical activities for enterprises, and create growth pathways for young people—ensuring that their talents have a place to shine and their aspirations have a home.”

Group photo from the National Finals of the “2025 Future Energy Leaders Program”

The “2025 Future Energy Leaders Program,” an energy innovation education initiative aimed at university students nationwide, seeks to inspire the younger generation to develop innovative perspectives and business ideas, while also providing them with a broad platform for connecting with industry professionals. Through the tripartite collaboration among associations, enterprises, and universities, the “2025 Future Energy Leaders Program” breaks down industry barriers and bridges the information gap between theoretical learning and practical application faced by college students. By mutually reinforcing knowledge gained on campus with cutting-edge industry applications, the program cultivates and supplies versatile talent to the energy sector.

Since its launch in June of this year, the “2025 Future Energy Leaders Program” has continuously attracted more young students interested in the energy industry by organizing a series of engaging activities. These activities have provided participants with abundant opportunities to gain firsthand exposure to real-world industry scenarios beyond the classroom. The program has visited five key universities—Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, Peking University, and Tsinghua University—where it has systematically introduced students to industry trends and authentic business scenarios. Additionally, the program has organized a winter camp study tour for the top ten student teams, inviting industry experts to deliver in-depth lectures on cutting-edge developments in energy storage and thermal management.

In addition, the top-ten student teams also visited frontline energy facilities such as the Shell Siyuan Bridge Charging Station. By observing equipment operation firsthand and personally experiencing the operational procedures, the students were able to deeply integrate the theoretical knowledge they’ve learned in class with real-world industry practices. This integrated approach of teaching and practice lies at the heart of the “2025 Future Energy Leaders Program,” which aims to cultivate a new generation of talent with cross-disciplinary expertise. Through these study-and-research activities, the students proactively identified and reflected on real-world challenges facing the energy industry, and they have also mastered the critical skills needed to put theory into practice. These gains will enable them to make positive contributions to the energy transition.

Students visit the Shell Siyuan Bridge Charging Station.

At the finals, the top ten teams delivered outstanding presentations, each focusing on their respective business plans. In the end, Sichuan University’s “Microcapsule Thermal Control” solution and Tongji University’s “Shell’s All-Scenario Smart Connected Energy-Replenishment Ecosystem Value Leap” solution each won the championship in their respective tracks. These two winning solutions fully demonstrated the participating students’ innovative thinking in energy technology and their clear commercial insights. For instance, the “Microcapsule Thermal Control” solution innovatively proposed a dual-mode cooling approach using “latent heat microcapsules,” enabling highly efficient heat dissipation and significant energy savings. Meanwhile, the “Shell’s All-Scenario Smart Connected Energy-Replenishment Ecosystem Value Leap” solution addressed real user pain points in new-energy charging scenarios by introducing innovative mechanisms such as intelligent robotic arms, thereby comprehensively optimizing both the spatial efficiency of charging stations and the customer experience.

The participating students also enthusiastically shared their rich takeaways from this trip. Xiao Yujie from Sichuan University said, “Through this competition, I was able to genuinely get in touch with the latest industry trends, broadened my horizons, and made my project truly relevant to real-world applications—greatly inspiring my future research direction.”

Sun Shiqi from Tongji University was deeply impressed by Shell’s philosophy and corporate culture: “I’ve truly felt Shell’s sense of responsibility and commitment as a global leader in the energy sector, and this has been immensely beneficial to us. Now is a time of profound transformation in the global energy landscape, and I hope that in the future I can think even more creatively and act with even greater determination—truly living up to the reputation of being a future energy leader.”

(From left to right) Tony Nunan, Chief of Staff of Shell Group; Pang Guanglian, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation; and Qu Xuemei, Executive Vice President of Shell Group and Chairperson of Shell China Group, delivered remarks.

Although the competition has come to an end, the journey of young students—exploring the future of energy and contributing to low-carbon development—will continue unabated. As Qu Xuemei, Executive Vice President of Shell Group and Chairperson of Shell China Group, put it: “In this competition, the students’ well-rounded qualities and innovative spirit not only revealed the boundless potential of the younger generation but also made the role of future energy leaders feel more tangible and real. The energy transition calls for more outstanding, multi-disciplinary talents. We hope that this cross-disciplinary mindset and practical ability will help you all become versatile professionals capable of excelling in multiple fields.” Looking ahead, Shell will remain committed to investing in future talent, empowering more young people to grow into tomorrow’s energy leaders who will spearhead the low-carbon transformation.

Media Inquiry:

Shell China News Center: SCHINA-Spokesperson@shell.com

Disclaimer:

The companies in which Shell Ltd. has direct and indirect investments are independent entities. For convenience, this press release sometimes uses terms such as “Shell,” “Shell Group,” and “the Group,” which generally refer to Shell Ltd. and its subsidiaries. Similarly, the terms “we” and “our” are typically used to refer to Shell and its subsidiaries or to individuals working for the company. These terms are also employed when referring to specific companies that do not carry any particular significance. In this press release, “subsidiary,” “Shell subsidiary,” and “Shell company” refer to entities that are directly or indirectly controlled by Shell. “Joint venture,” “jointly operated business,” “joint arrangement,” and “associated company” refer to business arrangements in which Shell, together with one or more other parties, holds rights and interests either directly or indirectly. For convenience, the term “Shell equity” is used to denote Shell’s direct and/or indirect ownership interest in an entity or unincorporated joint organization, after deducting all third-party equity holdings.

Forward-looking statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the financial condition, operating results, and various businesses of Shell plc (as defined under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Except for historical facts, all other statements are or may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. A forward-looking statement is a statement about future expectations based on management’s current expectations and assumptions, which involves both known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance, or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning market risks that Shell plc may face, as well as statements expressing management’s expectations, confidence, estimates, forecasts, plans, and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of words and phrases such as “target,” “objective,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aspire,” “believe,” “commit,” “determined,” “can,” “estimate,” “hope,” “intend,” “may,” “milestone,” “outlook,” “plan,” “perhaps,” “project,” “risk,” “schedule,” “seek,” “should,” “vision,” “will,” and similar terms or expressions. Shell plc’s future operations could be affected by numerous factors, causing its operating results to differ significantly from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. These factors include, but are not limited to: (a) fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas prices; (b) changes in demand for Shell Group’s products; (c) currency exchange rate fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserve estimates; (f) market losses and industry competition; (g) environmental and natural risks, including climate change; (h) risks associated with identifying suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, as well as the risks of successfully negotiating and completing transactions; (i) risks of conducting business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) developments in legislation, fiscal policies, and regulations, including tariffs and regulatory measures to address climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in different countries and regions; (l) political risks, including expropriation risks and risks related to renegotiating contract terms with government entities, project delays or early completions, approvals, and cost estimates; (m) risks related to the impact of infectious diseases, regional conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and conflicts in the Middle East, as well as severe cybersecurity incidents, data privacy breaches, or information technology (IT)-related incidents; and (n) changes in trade conditions. This press release does not guarantee that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. The cautionary statements contained in or referenced in this press release expressly limit all forward-looking statements included herein. Readers should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements. For additional factors that could affect future performance, please refer to Shell’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024, and any amendments thereto, available at www.shell.com/investors/news-and-filings/sec-filings.html and www.sec.gov.
 Download), these factors also explicitly limit all forward-looking statements included in this press release, and readers should take them into account accordingly. All forward-looking statements are valid only as of the date of this press release (November 18, 2025). Shell Ltd. and any of its subsidiaries assume no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events, or other developments. Due to the risks mentioned above, actual results could differ materially from those expressed, implied, or suggested in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity”:

In addition, in this press release, we may refer to Shell’s “net carbon intensity,” which includes carbon emissions generated by Shell during the production of energy products, carbon emissions generated by our suppliers in providing energy for such production, and carbon emissions generated by our customers when they use the energy products we sell. Shell is responsible only for controlling the carbon emissions it directly generates. The use of terms such as Shell’s “net carbon intensity” is for convenience only and does not imply that these emissions are attributable to Shell or its subsidiaries.

Shell’s “Net Zero Emissions” Goal:

Shell’s operating plans and outlook are based on projections for the next three and ten years, respectively, and are updated annually. These plans and outlooks reflect the current economic environment as well as the conditions we can reasonably expect over the next three and ten years. Consequently, the outlook reflects our targets for Scope 1, Scope 2, and “net carbon intensity” over the coming decade. However, Shell’s operating plans and outlook cannot yet fully capture our net-zero emissions target for 2050, as this goal extends beyond our planning horizon. Future operating plans and outlooks may include adjustments to our portfolio, improvements in efficiency, and increased use of carbon capture and storage as well as carbon credits. Looking ahead, as society gradually moves toward achieving net-zero emissions, we anticipate that Shell’s operating plans and outlook will increasingly reflect this trend. Nevertheless, if society fails to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, the risk that Shell may not be able to meet its net-zero target now appears very significant.

Forward-looking non-GAAP metrics:

This press release may include certain forward-looking non-GAAP metrics, such as “Adjusted Earnings” and “Asset Disposals.” We are unable to adjust these forward-looking non-GAAP metrics into the most comparable GAAP financial measures because some of the information required for such adjustments depends on future events beyond Shell’s control, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates, and exchange rates. Moreover, it would be extremely challenging—and would require disproportionate effort—to estimate GAAP metrics that conform to the company’s accounting policies and achieve the necessary level of accuracy. The non-GAAP metrics for future periods cannot be adjusted into the most comparable GAAP financial measures; their calculation logic remains consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell Limited’s financial statements.

The website content mentioned in this press release does not constitute a part of this press release.

In this press release, we may have used certain terms that are strictly prohibited by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) guidelines from being included in filings submitted to the SEC. Investors are urged to carefully review the information we have disclosed in Form 20-F and any amendments thereto, file number 1-32575 (available for download from the SEC website at www.sec.gov).