Energy Transfer's unit prices have surged over 13% this year, bolstered by two significant acquisitions. The company spent nearly $1.5 billion on acquiring Lotus Midstream, a deal that will instantly boost its free and distributable cash flow. A recently inked $7.1 billion deal to acquire Crestwood Equity Partners is also set to immediately enhance the company's distributable cash flow per unit. Energy Transfer aims to unlock commercial opportunities and refinance Crestwood's debt, amplifying the deal's value proposition. These strategic acquisitions provide the company additional avenues for expanding its distribution, which already offers a strong yield of 9.2%. Energized by both organic growth and its midstream consolidation efforts, Energy Transfer aims to uplift its payout by 3% to 5% annually.

The midstream sector plays a vital role in the oil and gas supply chain, serving as a crucial link. As the energy transition continues, this industry, like the broader sector, encounters various risks. Yet, existing analyses have predominantly concentrated on the risks faced by the upstream and downstream sectors, leaving the fate of the midstream relatively unexplored. In a nutshell, midstream operators differentiate themselves by offering services instead of products, resulting in potentially distinct revenue models compared to extraction and refining businesses. However, they are not immune to the long-term risks associated with the energy transition away from oil and gas. Over time, companies involved in transporting and storing hydrocarbons face the possibility of encountering a combination of reduced volumes, heightened costs, and declining prices.

In the ever-evolving energy landscape, staying informed about the global natural gas market is crucial for energy professionals. As CXO-level energy company officials, petroleum engineers, and business development professionals, it is vital to have a thorough understanding of the structure, economics, and historical context of global natural gas supply and demand. This article aims to provide an in-depth overview of the global natural gas market in the first quarter of 2023, exploring its supply and demand dynamics, historical development, and industry trends. This comprehensive analysis incorporates factual data on oil and gas production, costs, prices, volumes, and job market figures, providing professionals with valuable insights for strategic decision-making.

Skye MS LLC purchased a package deal from Black Bear, which included over 120 miles of natural gas pipelines and eight active metered locations. Black Bear Transmission LLC, based in Houston, successfully finalized the sale of gas gathering assets owned by BBT Mississippi LLC (BBT MS) to Skye MS LLC of Columbia, Mississippi. The specific amount of the transaction remains undisclosed. BBT MS is the proud owner and operator of a fee-based, natural gas transmission system that efficiently supplies gas to utility, industrial, and power generation customers. It facilitates the connection of wellhead production in Mississippi to regional long-haul pipelines.

In May, ONEOK (OKE) made an announcement regarding its acquisition of Magellan Midstream Partners LP (MMP) for a total value of $18.8 billion, which includes cash and stocks. This move drew attention as it positions ONEOK, primarily known for its involvement in the provision, gathering, and processing of Natural Gas (NG), to become one of the largest pipeline companies in the United States. The acquisition also allows ONEOK to expand its services by including Oil (CL), another significant energy commodity.

Global oil supply and demand saw notable changes in April 2023. Liquids demand declined by 0.7 MMb/d to 99.9 MMb/d, with gains in China and Europe offset by reduced demand in Japan and the Middle East. OPEC 10 production remained stable at 29.5 MMb/d, while Saudi Arabia increased output by 0.3 MMb/d. Non-OPEC production declined slightly, Russian production dropped further, and US shale production remained steady. Combined production in Iran, Venezuela, and Libya remained unchanged. Commercial inventories increased, and OPEC+ implemented production cuts. Economic sentiment remains uncertain amid rising global inflation.

Callon is set to purchase Percussion Petroleum's Delaware assets for $475 million while selling its Eagle Ford assets to Ridgemar for $655 million. In a strategic step to optimize its operations, Callon Petroleum recently made headlines by sealing two deals on May 3, totaling a staggering $1.13 billion. The company is taking confident steps to bolster its presence in the Delaware Basin while bidding farewell to its stake in the Eagle Ford Shale.

Permian Resources bolsters dominance in the Delaware Basin with strategic land acquisitions, expanding its portfolio by over 5,000 net leasehold acres and 3,000 royalty acres. In a stunning display of growth and strategic maneuvering, Permian Resources Corp., based in Midland, Texas, has made waves in the first quarter by securing a series of deals worth over $200 million in the highly sought-after Delaware Basin. This move solidifies their position as a player in the region.

The Williston Basin, which spans parts of North Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, is a major oil-producing region in North America. In order to transport crude oil and natural gas from the wells to refineries and other destinations, a vast pipeline infrastructure has been built in the area. The pipeline infrastructure in the Williston Basin consists of a network of pipelines that connect production sites to processing facilities, storage tanks, and major pipeline hubs

Matador Resources Co. is making a big move in the oil and gas industry by acquiring Advance Energy Partners Holdings LLC, a major player in the northern Delaware Basin. The acquisition, which comes with a hefty price tag of at least $1.6 billion in cash, includes valuable assets in Lea County, N.M., and Ward County, Texas, as well as key midstream infrastructure.

Geologically, the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin is a large structural basin with a complex history of sedimentary deposition, tectonic activity, and hydrocarbon generation. The basin covers approximately 20,000 square miles and extends into parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Kansas. It is primarily composed of several stacked formations, including the Niobrara, Codell, and Greenhorn formations, which contain significant amounts of oil and gas reserves.

Following the success of FireBird Energy's $1.75 billion sale to Diamondback last year, the emergence of FireBird II signals a new chapter in the Permian Basin. Get ready for some exciting news from the energy industry. FireBird Energy II, the new player in the Permian Basin, has just secured $500 million in equity funding to fuel their acquisitions. With backing from the esteemed private equity firm Quantum Energy Partners, FireBird Energy II is poised to make waves in the industry.

Ovintiv Strikes Billion-Dollar Oil Deal, Doubling Production in Permian Basin with EnCap's Black Swan, PetroLegacy, and Piedra Resources. The deal, which was approved unanimously by Ovintiv's board, is slated to close on June 30. With over $5 billion in transactions announced on April 3, Ovintiv is set to expand its oil production by snatching up 65,000 net acres in the core of the Midland Basin. The deal with EnCap will give them a strategic edge in Martin and Andrews counties, Texas, with approximately 1,050 net, 10,000-ft well locations added to their inventory.

The Appalachian oil and gas basin is a geological formation that spans several states in the eastern United States, including Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and New York. It is one of the largest natural gas reserves in the world, with estimates of recoverable natural gas exceeding 141 trillion cubic feet. The Marcellus Shale formation was formed over 350 million years ago and is composed of sedimentary rocks. Initially, the Marcellus Shale was not considered a significant source of natural gas due to the low permeability of the rock, which made it difficult for gas to flow through it and be extracted. However, with the development of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies in the early 2000s, it became economically viable to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale, and it has since become a major source of natural gas production in the United States.

In a big move for Riley Permian, the company has just closed a deal to acquire top-of-the-line oil and gas assets in the heart of New Mexico. The acquisition, which was made in February, saw Riley Permian snapping up these highly sought-after resources from none other than Pecos Oil & Gas LLC for $330 million.

Energy Transfer's recent acquisition of Lotus Midstream's infrastructure for $1.45 billion is a remarkable feat that is bound to shake up the energy industry. This strategic move grants Energy Transfer access to the highly prized Centurion Pipeline, as well as an additional 3,000 miles of crude gathering and transportation pipelines. These pipelines span across the vast Permian Basin of West Texas, stretching all the way from New Mexico and culminating at the bustling energy hub of Cushing, Oklahoma.

Baytex Energy Group has announced that it will acquire Eagle Ford exploration and production company, Ranger Oil, for approximately $2.5 billion in cash and stock, which includes taking over the company's existing debt. Upon the successful closure of the acquisition, Baytex will have a controlling stake of approximately 63% in the newly merged company, leaving Ranger shareholders with around 37%. This significant move is in line with a trend of substantial mergers and acquisitions in the Eagle Ford area, with Marathon Oil, Devon Energy, and Chesapeake Energy among the companies involved in recent transactions.

Harvest Midstream, a Hilcorp affiliate, is set to acquire three midstream gathering systems that serve the Bakken, as well as system located in the Eagle Ford. Harvest, an affiliate of Hilcorp Energy Corp, has entered into an agreement to purchase three Bakken midstream gathering systems and one in the Eagle Ford from Paradigm. Paradigm is set to sell these midstream assets to Harvest in the near future.

Baytex Energy, a Canadian oil and gas company, has announced its acquisition of Ranger Oil, an Eagle Ford operator based in Texas, in a deal worth $150 million. The acquisition will accelerate Baytex's shareholder returns and introduce a dividend with enhanced free cash flow.

Enbridge acquired Tres Palacios natural gas storage facility in Texas for $335 million, adding approximately 35 Bcf of natural gas storage to their portfolio. The facility uses salt caverns for storage and has a gas header pipeline system that spans 62 miles and links to 11 major gas pipelines. Crestwood Equity Partners LP intends to divest its interests in Tres Palacios by the second quarter.

The U.S. natural gas pipeline network is a complex system of pipelines that transport natural gas from production areas to consumers across the country. The pipeline network consists of three main types of pipelines: gathering pipelines, transmission pipelines, and distribution pipelines. Gathering pipelines are small-diameter pipelines that transport natural gas from production wells to processing facilities or larger transmission pipelines. Transmission pipelines are large-diameter pipelines that transport natural gas over long distances, sometimes across multiple states. Distribution pipelines operate at low pressure and are located in or near urban areas. They are often referred to as "utility pipelines" because they are typically owned and operated by local gas utility companies.

Diamondback Energy, an independent oil and gas company, has successfully completed the acquisition of Lario Permian, marking the closure of two major deals in the fourth quarter of 2022. The company purchased two private operators in the Midland Basin for approximately $3.3 billion.

Canadian pipeline operator Pembina Pipeline Corp.'s joint venture with KKR & Co. is selling for C$662.5 million ($484.89 million) its 50% stake in the Key Access Pipeline System to private equity firm Stonepeak Partners. The agreement allows Stonepeak to maintain a pipeline system that conveys NGL to processing facilities for export to Asia, a market with a raising appetite for North American LNG as it refuses to use coal and as the decrease in Russian exports leaves a void in global supply.

BP acquired renewable natural gas (RNG) provider Archaea Energy Inc. for $4.1 billion on December 28, marking a milestone in the growth of BP’s strategic bioenergy business. The acquisition, announced in October, was finalized following BP’s completion of regulatory requirements and Archaea obtaining shareholder approval.

On January 6, Phillips 66 announced that it plans to acquire more than 43% of DCP Midstream LP for $3.8 billion, expanding the business in the oil & gas business.

On January 3, U.S. natural gas producer Rockcliff Energy from private equity firm Quantum Energy Partners was set to be sold to a unit of Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd. for roughly $4.6 billion, including debt. The all-cash agreement with Houston-based TG Natural Resources, which is 70% possessed by the Japanese energy firm, is decided to be claimed this month, according to anonymous resources, as the discussions were requested to be confidential. Castleton Commodities International (CCI) owns the rest of TG Natural Resources.

Marathon Oil Corp. closes the acquisition of Ensign Natural Resources’ Eagle Ford assets for $3 billion cash, according to the company’s release on December 27. The purchase includes 130,000 net acres (99% operated, 97% working interest) in acreage adjacent to Marathon Oil’s existing Eagle Ford position. Ensign’s estimated fourth-quarter production will average 67,000 net boe/d, including 22,000 net bbl/d of oil.

On December 15, Pipeline giant Williams made a deal to purchase MountainWest Pipelines Holding Co. from Southwest Gas Holdings Inc. for almost $1.5 billion including debt. Williams is paying $1.07 billion in cash and assuming $0.43 billion of debt to buy MountainWest, which comprises approximately 2,000 miles of interstate natural gas pipeline systems mainly situated across Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado.

According to CheniereEnergy’s board of directors announcement on June 22, the company declared the further expansion of its CorpusChristi, Texas. Moreover, the LNG plant could come sooner than expected due to the announcement of a final investments decision (FID) related to Stage 3 Liquefaction Project work at the export facility. It will ensure the capacity to ship 10-plus million tonnes per annum (mtpa) from 7 midscale trains. Furthermore, TudorPickering, Holt & Co. (#TPH) declared on June 23, that the possible ultimate capacity of the facility could be in the 11-12 mtpa range given 10.7 mtpa of long-term contracts have been signed with companies such as CPC, PGNiG, Sinochem, Foran, ENGIE, Apache, EOG and ARX CN. Additionally, Cheniere announced two sale and purchase agreements (SPAs) with #ChevronCorp.: Firstly, Chevron will obtain 1 mtpa of LNG from Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC with deliveries considered to start in 2026. Deliveries will reach full capacity in 2027 and expire in mid-2042. Secondly, Chevron will obtain 1 mtpa of LNG from Cheniere Marketing LLC with deliveries considered to start in 2027 and continue for about 15 years. The purchase price for the LNG under both SPAs will be indexed to the Henry Hub price, plus a fixed liquefaction fee as Cheniere claimed. Since the expansion will have been completed, Cheniere’s aggregate nominal production capacity will be increased to more than 55 mtpa by the end of 2025 compared to 45 mtpa now. It will become a part of the industry-wide decarbonization movement away from coal and oil as this allows Cheniere to provide the global market with additional low-carbon fuels. First exports from the facility are anticipated in 2025.

On June 16 Targa Resources Corp. decided to acquire Lucid Energy Group, located in the Permian Basin, which is a part of Riverstone Holdings LLC and Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Firstly, Targa enlarged due to the recent “blot-on” acquisition of Southcross Energy in the Eagle Ford for $200 million and it will become bigger thanks to the $3.55 billion cash transaction. Targa’s financial position allowed it to utilize convenient opportunities to extend its company so it bought #Lucid using available cash and debt with an estimated pro forma year-end 2022 leverage around 3.5 times. According to Targa’s estimates, the acquisition of Lucid will increase the number of natural gas pipelines by 1,050 miles and add about 1.4 Bcf/d of cryogenic natural gas processing capacity in service or under construction located mainly in Eddy and Lea counties of New Mexico. The investment-grade producers source approximately 70% of current system volumes. According to the press release, a full-year standalone adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $2.675 billion and $2.775 billion and reported year-end leverage ratio of about 2.7 times. Targa’s updated financial expectations assume NGL composite prices average $1.05 per gallon, crude oil prices average $100/bbl, and Waha natural gas prices average $6 per MMBtu for the remainder of 2022.

On June 5 China Gas Hongda Energy Trading Co. Ltd. has made an LNG sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with Energy Transfer LNG Export, LLC concerning its Lake Charles LNG project. In the course of the 25-year contract, Energy Transfer LNG will provide 0.7 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG to China Gas on a free-on-board basis. The purchase price is indexed to the Henry Hub benchmark plus a fixed liquefaction charge, with first deliveries expected as early as 2026. Being a premier natural Chinese gas distribution company, China Gas enchants Energy Transfer LNG to sign the 25-year LNG offtake agreement. From the direction of ChinaGas, it will be a significant step along the way to realizing China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals as it is their first long-term agreement.

Under the agreement, Energy Transfer will sell its 51% interest in Energy Transfer Canada to the Pembina-KKR joint venture, for more than CA$1.6 billion (US$1.3 billion) including debt and preferred equity. KKR's funds already own the remaining stake. TC’s assets include 6 natural gas processing plants with a combined operating capacity of 1.29 Bcf/d and an 848-mile naturalgas gathering and transportation network in the Western Canadian Sedimentary (WCS) basin. While this process is underway, Pembina and KKR will combine their Western Canadian natural gas processing assets into a single, new joint venture entity — Newco, owned 60% by Pembina and 40% by KKR. This new entity is expected to have a natural gas processing capacity of about 5 Bcf/d or about 16% of Western Canada’s total processing capacity.

Exxon Mobil Corp. is weighing prospects of selling its assets in North Dakota’s Bakken, after gauging interest from potential buyers — 5 billion is the issue price, at least according to rumors. The price point came about after the news that the oilgiant is in the final round of hiring bankers to help launch the sale. Yet Exxon Mobil itself stays tight-lipped regarding the situation.

Canada is looking at ways to increase pipeline utilization to boost crude exports as Europe seeks to reduce its reliance on Russian oil At the moment, oil exports from Canada to the U.S. are approximately 4 million barrels of oil per day, with a portion reexported to other countries. At the end of 2021 Canadian oil companies exported a record amount of crude from the U.S. Gulf Coast, mostly to big importers India, China, and South Korea. And this will only increase in the future.

By purchasing the gathering and processing assets of Trace Midstream, Williams' existing footprint gains expanded capacity in one of the nation's largest growth basins, bringing its Haynesville gathering capacity to over 4 Bcf/d — increasing more than 200% from 1.8 Bcf/d. The deal also includes a long-term commitment from Trace and Quantum to support Williams' Louisiana Energy Gateway project (LEG), which is aimed to deliver responsibly sourced Haynesville’s naturalgas to markets along the Texas and Louisiana GulfCoast

Looks like Pine pulled the plug on its properties in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, and Harrison and Panola counties, Texas. Which includes a total of 12,500 acres and ownership interests in 10 operated wells with a production capacity of 100 million cubic feet per day along with 18 miles of naturalgas gathering pipelines. Did Pine just give up on Haynesville?

The ever-increasing demand for natural gas exports from the Gulf Coast started a race to further develop Permian Basin. Various companies, including Kinder Morgan and MPLX, are among those looking at building new pipelines in the region due to the demand spike. But Energy Transfer seems to edge past them into the lead since its project strikes as the most economical option for the basin outside of capacity expansions on existing pipelines and could essentially add 1.5-2 Bcf/d of transport capacity with just 260 miles of new pipe.

Evolution Petroleum just spend a fortune on Jonah’s Field right after acquiring Hamilton Dome Field in Wyoming. The price of the transaction is $29.4 million. The Houston-based company aims to diversify into natural gas assets, providing access to the western markets through the Opal market hub, with the optionality to flow to the east. That transaction took effect on February 1. We anticipate closing on or about April 1.

The future of shale is looking bright: economic recovery and a spike in travel lifted oil prices to multi-year highs, helping Continental Resources to a fourth-quarter profit that exceeded Wall Street expectations. Coming off such a high note, the company plans to increase its dividend rates by 15% to 23 cents per share!

The crux of the matter is rather simple: productivity gains of local energy operators have been stable not only because they are drilling better acreage, but also because players finally realized capital efficiency gains. And even if some new obstacles impede Appalachia's growth at the same rate as the Permian or Haynesville, it does not detract from the value of the Marcellus and Utica basins. The Appalachians will still be the top producers at a very competitive pace as long as commercial inventory exists. After all, as long as there is commercial inventory, somebody will have to drill.

Enterprise decided to go in on the Permian Basin. With the surprise purchase of Navitas Midstream for $3.25 billion in cash, the company gained a foothold in the Midland Basin, as it previously lacked #naturalgas or NGL infrastructure apart from downstream pipelines in the region. Enterprise estimates that distributable cash flow accretion will be in the range of $0.18 to $0.22 per unit in 2023, while simultaneously supporting additional capital returns to their limited partners through distribution growth and buybacks of common units.

BPX Energy achieved an admirably low level of methane emissions, ranking among the best performing players in Haynesville Shale, around 0.05%! And MiQ awarded the company with an A grade certification. BPX very well may be one of the cleanest natural gas producers in all of Texas.

Permian Basins gas infrastructure boom: Summit Midstream puts into service a new pipeline system, aimed at reducing gas flaring in the area. Besides ecological concerns, the project will also transport almost 1,5 billion cubic feet of gas per day — enough to supply 5 million U.S. homes every day. According to Federal Energy Statistics, the project cost a whopping $450 million.

Enbridge Inc. finally delivered on several of its long-overdue promises, including the $4 billion Line3 Replacement project. Which consisted of replacing an existing 34-inch pipe with a new 36-inch one for 13 miles in North Dakota, 337 miles in Minnesota, and 14 miles in Wisconsin. Midstream companies, in general, had a stunning Q3. It was the first quarter in two years that no midstream index members cut their dividends.

Altus Midstream and EagleClaw Midstream agreed to combine operations in order to become the meanest midstream player in the Permian Basin! Following this merger, Altus will become the largest natural gas processor in the Delaware Basin, as well as the third-largest for the entire Permian Basin.

Ironwood Midstream expanded its operations in the Eagle Ford region through its merger with Nuevo Midstream. Thanks to this, Ironwood II has increased its crude oil and natural gas throughput capacities in the famous shale to approximately 400,000 bbl/d and 410 MMcf/d, respectively. With 390 miles of pipelines, the company manages 245,000 acres of dedicated land.

Sempra Energy would develop the 4.0-mmtpa Vista Pacifico LNG export facility located next to the company's Terminal for Refined Products in Topolobampo in a bid to provide gas from the Permian basin in Texas and New Mexico to Asian markets. Once marketing begins, Sempra's management expects Vista Pacifico to be oversubscribed.

TC Energy splurged $0.8 billion on the project that targets emissions. Well, sorta. According to the idea, existing lines of the ANR Pipeline Company will be expanded to serve markets in the #Midwestern US and simultaneously updated to reduce discharge by 30,000 metric tons CO2e per year - equivalent to removing almost 7000 cars from the road annually. Remarkable goals. With the current timeline, the project will be fully operational by the end of 2025, thanks to long-term transportation agreements secured by ANR.

Texas Cheniere and Swiss Glencore had entered into a free-on-board agreement for approximately 0.8 million tonnes of LNG per annum, starting in April 2023 for 13 consecutive years. This SPA demonstrates the commercial momentum Cheniere has been enjoying and marks an important milestone, as the company lays the groundwork for a final investment decision on Corpus Christi Stage 3, which is expected to occur next year.

TC Energy, the Canadian gas giant, recently announced its environmental, social, and governance goals, as well as emission reduction strategies. The company aims to become 100% emission-free by 2050 while promising to cut greenhouse gas emissions intensity from its operations by 30% by 2030 as an interim measure.

Diamondback Energy is willing to sell some of its Permian Water Assets in order to reduce debt and ensure a steady oil supply through the end of the year. The brokered deal will bring the company some $160 million in cash. Consolidation seems to be the trend in the industry, but for how long?

New standards for carbon capture have been set in North Dakota earlier this month as NDIC greenlights Red Trail Energy’s project. The company will now be able to commercially capture, compress, and inject 180,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year into the Broom Creek Formation on its property for permanent geologic CO2 storage. This ensures that carbon dioxide can be stored safely for generations to come.

Carbon footprint reduction is a new hot trend: Exxon Mobil makes a $400 million investment into its LaBarge facility to expand its carbon capture and storage capabilities by another million metric tons of CO2. Operational activities could begin as early as 2025 after a final investment decision is made in 2022. At present, about 20% of all CO2 captured worldwide each year is captured at the LaBarge. However, as one of the largest of the world's Big Oil companies, it is not the only project in Exxon's pipeline: aside from CCS capabilities, the LaBarge is one of the world's largest sources of helium, producing approximately 20% of global supply

A good asset will not sit on the market for long. After a deal with Berkshire Hathaway fell through, Dominion Energy managed to secure another one for Questar Pipelines in a drop of a hat. And get that, it is better than the former one by more than half a billion! Although not everyone is happy with such decisions, it seems that even Carl Icahn’s complaints won't be able to sway Southwest Gas Holdings’ decision. Though we will have our eyes peeled in any case… If everything goes as planned, a $2 billion deal will be closed before the end of the year.

Penn Virginia announced a rebranding to Ranger Oil on 6 Oct. following the close of the Lonestar acquisition. This Texas oil & gas giant reinvents itself anew, shifting its energy development in the lone star state towards safer and more efficient oil and gas operations. The company's consolidated assets now amount to over 140,000 net acres strategically positioned in the Eagle Ford play of south Texas, making it one of the biggest players. It is anticipated that the full rebranding will be complete by the year-end of 2021. For the full rundown of the situation visit our blog.

Whitewater Midstream Acquires 24-mile 24-inch Gateway Pipeline from Sendero to transport dry gas to its Agua Blanca intrastate pipeline network.