據(jù)油氣新聞1月24日消息稱，切薩皮克能源公司同意以約 26 億美元的現(xiàn)金和股票收購寡頭控股的 Chief E&D Holdings LP 以及 Tug Hill Inc. 的關(guān)聯(lián)公司持有的相關(guān)資產(chǎn)，這是該公司自去年擺脫破產(chǎn)保護(hù)以來的第二次數(shù)十億美元的收購。

周二的一份聲明稱，這筆交易預(yù)計(jì)將在第一季度結(jié)束前完成，這將使切薩皮克公司從第二季度開始將年度基本股息提高14%。紐約股市上漲了3.7%。

該公司還同意將其位于懷俄明州的Powder River Basin資產(chǎn)以約4.5億美元現(xiàn)金出售給Continental Resources Inc.。

此次收購使切薩皮克在美國(guó)最大的頁巖氣區(qū)塊——賓夕法尼亞州的州馬塞勒斯頁巖獲得了立足點(diǎn)。該國(guó)的天然氣行業(yè)面臨越來越大的來自投資者的壓力，要求他們進(jìn)行整合，以便在不鉆新井的情況下擴(kuò)大規(guī)模、降低成本和增加產(chǎn)量。但大型收購?fù)ǔＲ馕吨袚?dān)巨額債務(wù)，如果石油和天然氣價(jià)格暴跌，會(huì)給鉆井商帶來財(cái)務(wù)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。

西南能源公司在 9 月同意以約 27 億美元的價(jià)格收購 Indigo Natural Resources，而頁巖巨頭 EQT Corp. 以29億美元的價(jià)格收購Alta Resources的資產(chǎn)，交易在第三季度完成。

切薩皮克也在進(jìn)行并購，去年宣布以22億美元收購競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手Vine Energy Inc.。Vine和Chief的交易共同幫助該公司提高了產(chǎn)量，這是自2021年2月退出美國(guó)破產(chǎn)法第11章保護(hù)以來，公司管理層推動(dòng)的關(guān)鍵舉措。

切薩皮克首席執(zhí)行官Nick Dell 'Osso在聲明中稱:“在不到一年的時(shí)間里，我們已經(jīng)實(shí)現(xiàn)了圍繞核心資產(chǎn)重新調(diào)整投資組合并提高評(píng)級(jí)的目標(biāo)，為股東創(chuàng)造了有意義的回報(bào)?！?/p>

該交易預(yù)計(jì)將立即增加公司的運(yùn)營(yíng)和自由現(xiàn)金流，同時(shí)將馬塞勒斯天然氣產(chǎn)能提高至每天 2 億立方英尺。出售懷俄明州產(chǎn)油資產(chǎn)將為Chief的收購提供資金。該公司表示，這筆交易將改善該公司的溫室氣體排放指標(biāo)。

朱佳妮 摘譯自 油氣新聞

原文如下：

Chesapeake to buy Chief for $2.6 billion as gas deals surge

Chesapeake Energy Corp. agreed to buy closely held Chief E&D Holdings LP and associated assets held by affiliates of Tug Hill Inc. for about $2.6 billion in cash and stock, marking its second multi-billion-dollar acquisition since emerging from bankruptcy last year.

The deal, which is expected to close by the end of the first quarter, will allow Chesapeake to increase its annual base dividend by 14% starting in the second quarter, according to a statement Tuesday. Shares rose as much as 3.7% in New York.

The company also agreed to sell its Powder River Basin assets in Wyoming to Continental Resources Inc. for approximately $450 million in cash.

The Chief purchase grows Chesapeake’s foothold in the Marcellus Shale of Pennsylvania, the largest gas play in the U.S. The country’s gas sector faces increasing pressure from investors to consolidate in a bid to scale up, cut costs and grow production without drilling new wells. But large acquisitions usually mean taking on significant debt, creating financial risks for drillers if oil and gas prices tumble.

Southwestern Energy Co. agreed to buy Indigo Natural Resources for about $2.7 billion in September, while shale giant EQT Corp. bought assets from Alta Resources in a $2.9 billion deal that closed during the third quarter.

Chesapeake has made M&A plays, too, announcing last year a $2.2 billion deal to buy rival gas driller Vine Energy Inc. The Vine and Chief deals together help the company grow output, a key management push since exiting Chapter 11 protection in February 2021.

“In less than a year, we have achieved our goal of refocusing and high-grading our portfolio around our core assets, positioning us to generate meaningful returns for shareholders,” Chesapeake Chief Executive Officer Nick Dell’Osso said in the statement.

The deal is expected to immediately increase the company’s operating and free cash flow, while growing its Marcellus gas production capacity by up to 200 million cubic feet a day. The sale of the oil-producing Wyoming assets will help fund the Chief purchase. The transaction will improve the company’s greenhouse gas emissions metrics, it said.