There has been no 11-figure upstream M&A since Devon Energy and Coterra Energy announced their $21.4 billion merger in early February, just a few weeks before the war on Iran started and the Strait of Hormuz was closed. But other, somewhat smaller — but still noteworthy — deals continue to happen.
The next four years will reshape the future of North America’s natural gas market. LNG exports are set to surge as new terminals across the U.S., Canada and Mexico come online, causing ripple effects through global energy trade and fueling new demand from Europe and Asia.
The next four years will reshape the future of North America’s natural gas market. LNG exports are set to surge as new terminals across the U.S., Canada and Mexico come online, causing ripple effects through global energy trade and fueling new demand from Europe and Asia.
Mexico’s still-rising demand for U.S.-sourced natural gas — and new pipelines to deliver it — has been driven by the buildout of new power plants and, more recently, by planned LNG exports. Today, we discuss more private-sector midstreamers and the new gas demand that may bring them new opportunities.
Mexico’s process for planning new gas pipelines is very top-down, with state-owned Cenagas and CFE playing key roles. But the buildout of pipelines there has been largely accomplished by private-sector companies that are now planning another round of projects that will spur more gas exports from the U.S.
In Mexico, state-owned players like Cenagas and CFE continue to play central roles in planning and underpinning the development of natural gas pipelines. At the same time, however, Mexico has leveraged the participation of a handful of private-sector companies that have built a significant share of the newer pipelines there.
There are at least a couple of clear trends in upstream-sector M&A. One is that E&Ps continue to zero in on the basins where they see the most promise, and to divest non-core assets. Another is that the ramp-up in LNG exports is spurring heightened interest in acreage and production targeting that market.
Phillips 66’s Sweeny Complex includes refining, midstream and petrochemical units and illustrates how a well-designed facility can deliver operating and financial efficiencies.
Out of the blue, Plains All American has scooped up 100% of the EPIC Crude Pipeline. Plains had previously announced an agreement to buy a 55% stake in the Permian-to-Corpus-Christi pipeline from Diamondback Energy and Kinetik Holdings, and on November 5, it said it had closed on a deal to buy the other 45% from Ares Management. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss what the acquisition means for Plains, as well as a possible expansion of EPIC and the planned rebranding of the pipe.
Two Denver-based E&Ps that each started out small but quickly expanded through a series of acquisitions will now combine to form one of the nation’s larger crude-oil-focused producers. With the planned merger of SM Energy and Civitas Resources, the pro forma company will be a significant player in the Permian, South Texas, the Denver-Julesburg and the Uinta. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss the planned combination and the E&Ps’ rationale for it.
