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Potential Deal for $5 Billion: Tug Hill and Quantum Energy Seek Sale
07/25/2022
Undisclosed industry sources said that THQ Appalachia I LLC (Tug Hill and Quantum Energy) is seeking a sale of the U.S. natural gas producer for more than $5 billion, including debt.
To run the sale process, which kicked off earlier this month, an investment bank has been hired for the company backed by Tug Hill Operating and private equity firm Quantum Energy Partners.
Mainly operating in the Marshall and Wetzel counties in West Virginia, THQ Appalachia has net production of around 760 MMcf/d.
Despite volatility in commodity markets which has made the valuation of energy producers tougher, THQ Appalachia is anticipating more than $5 billion due to the worth of its existing production and the possible value of its undeveloped acreage, the sources said on June 17.
Tug Hill Operating is a privately held, independent oil & gas exploration company focused on drilling and producing oil and clean-burning natural gas in the continental United States.
Tug Hill Operating plans to continue to grow in these areas through select strategic acquisitions and leasing efforts. Moreover, the company maintains an extensive non-operated asset position in Northeast Pennsylvania in the tier 1 Marcellus where Tug Hill or its team have drilled and/or participated in over 850 wells since 2007.
The company focuses on operational and detailed analysis, with all decisions underpinned by deep technical and financial evaluation. The senior team has acquired, operated, developed, and managed E&P assets in nearly every major US Domestic basin and has a proven track record of managing large-scale assets.
Founded in 1998, Quantum Energy Partners is a leading global provider of private capital to the responsibly sourced energy and energy transition & decarbonization sectors, what we call the Sustainable Energy Ecosystem. Quantum Innovation Fund invests in transformative technology-based businesses focused on the energy and sustainability sectors. It can provide early-stage companies with differentiated strategic insights and access. The company has significant experience coaching and mentoring founders to “cross the chasm” and build businesses of significant scale.
Additionally to purchasing THQ Appalachia, possible bidders in the sale process also have the opportunity to buy XcL Midstream, the pipeline firm that moves the company’s gas to market and has the same CEO as in Tug Hill. If the same buyer chooses to purchase XcL, the deal consideration will increase further.
However, the anonymous sources admitted that the sale depends on the market conditions and is not guaranteed since Tug Hill and Quantum could ultimately decide to retain some or all of THQ Appalachia and XcL’s assets. Tug Hill and Quantum refused to comment on these statements and XcL did not respond to a comment request.
Meanwhile, in June U.S. natural gas futures traded at their highest level since 2008. The high commodity price levels are inspiring longstanding owners of privately-held gas producers to explore sales.
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Earthstone Expands Due to Acquisition of Titus’ Delaware
Earthstone Energy Inc., based in Texas, announced the transaction on June 28: the acquisition of Titus Oil&Gas which will raise production in the Delaware Basin by 26%. The $627 million acquisition fills the Permian Basin in Eddy and Lea counties, N.M. with 86 net locations on 7,900 net acres of leasehold, while it is not clear how much of the leasehold might be on federal acreage It is Earthstone’s seventh acquisition since 2021, a span that includes the closing of approximately $1.89 billion in acquisitions in the Permian Basin. The purchase of Titus Oil & Gas Production LLC and Titus Oil & Gas Production II LLC, privately held companies backed by NGP Energy Capital Management LLC, is estimated at $575 million in cash and it is the equivalent of $52 million in stock (3.9 million shares of its Class A common stock based on the June 24 closing price). Titus shared that its net production in June was 31,800 boe/d. The company had reserves of approximately 28.9 MMboe. Earthstone is sure its net production will increase, at the midpoint, by 20,500 boe/d (65% oil) in the fourth quarter.
EQT Completes Long-Awaited $5.2 Billion Acquisition of Tug Hill and XcL Midstream
EQT disbursed roughly $2.4 billion in cash and issued 49.6 million shares of its common stock to acquire the Tug Hill and XcL Midstream assets. On August 22, EQT Corp. announced the completion of its long-delayed acquisition of XcL Midstream, following extensive Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reviews. The final purchase, post-price adjustments, consisted of about $2.4 billion in cash and 49.6 million EQT common shares. The cash component was financed through a $1.25 billion term loan, $1 billion from existing cash reserves, and a previously escrowed $150 million deposit.
Continental Resources is expanding its operations in the Midland Basin, including taking over some assets that used to belong to Occidental Petroleum. The company plans to use its expertise in exploration in this area.
Equinor and EQT Corporation have agreed that Equinor will exchange its operated assets in the Marcellus and Utica shale formations in Ohio for a stake in EQT’s non-operated interests in the Northern Marcellus formation.
Appalachian Basin (formerly Marcellus and Utica) covers most of New York, Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, West Virginia, and Western Maryland in the north, reaching down to parts of Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama in the south. The basin is massive, covering about 185,000 square miles, roughly 1,000 miles long from northeast to southwest, and in some places, it's up to 300 miles wide. In this area, some major companies are making significant investments. EQT stands out as the largest producer in the Appalachian Basin, with other key players including Chesapeake, Range Resources, Antero, Repsol, and Gulfport also actively investing.