Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) announced last month that it plans to sell up to US$15 billion of assets in order to help fund planned projects that will require up to US$55 billion of additional funding over the next two years. But the announcement has raised renewed questions over the company's holding in Australian energy producer Woodside Petroleum (ASX: WPL). Shell CEO Peter Voser is quoted in Bloomberg confirming the sales saying, "we are entering into a divestment phase like we had a few years ago. The net capital spending is considerably going to come down in 2014. We know exactly what we are going to do". Shell holds a 23% stake in Woodside Petroleum and works closely with the company on projects including Browse LNG and Sunrise LNG. While Shell has not mentioned Woodside as being on the sale sheet, it is a no secret that Shell wants to exit its Woodside ownership.