Physical Hedge

For companies whose success depends on low-cost natural gas, finding ways to mitigate gas price risk is critical. Using financial hedges is one way; another (though far less common) is acquiring working interests in gas production assets—that is, buying a physical hedge. Florida Power & Light, which consumes more gas than any other US electric utility, is getting into the act. But others—including a leading fertilizer manufacturer and a big steel maker—helped pioneer the approach. In this episode of our series on major gas consumers buying gas production assets, we look at how these earlier efforts are panning out, and how the flexibility built into the deals is paying off.

If a company expects to consume large volumes of natural gas for decades to come, why not remove at least some price risk by acquiring a working interest in gas production assets? Florida Power & Light (FPL), which burns more gas than any other US electric utility, recently asked regulators to permit the company to co-develop up to 38 gas production wells in the Woodford Shale with PetroQuest Energy, and to establish rules to let it make other, similar investments in the future. FPL is not first in its plan to acquire gas interests as a physical hedge; leading fertilizer and steel companies already have taken that plunge, with positive results. Today we examine what could become a trend: Major gas consumers buying a piece of the gas production action.