No stopping Texas as Permian fever spreads to pipes
HOUSTON (Bloomberg) -- The Permian basin land rush is spreading to oil and gas pipelines.
Plains All American Pipeline said it will expand its crude oil gathering system in America’s hottest play through a $1.2-billion purchase from Concho Resources and Frontier Midstream Solutions. The Alpha Crude Connector System is located in the oil-rich northern portion of the Permian’s Delaware basin and will serve to expand the volume that the company is able to move from West Texas to Corpus Christi and other delivery points, Plains said Tuesday.
The deal is the latest of many in the Permian, the largest and most prolific oil field in the U.S., as its crude-soaked layers of rock have delivered good returns for producers even during the market crash. On Monday, Targa Resources Corp. agreed to buy a set of pipelines in the region from Outrigger Energy LLC for as much as $1.5 billion. The Permian’s oil production has almost doubled since 2012, while the natural gas that comes along with the crude has also turned it into the second-richest gas play in the country.
“We expect aggregate crude oil production on the dedicated acreage to double over the next two to three years,” Greg Armstrong, chairman and CEO of Plains, said in the statement. “We believe overall Permian basin crude oil volumes have the potential to grow as much as 50% or more during this same time period.”
Other Assets
The deal is expected to close during the first half of 2017. Plains also announced the sale of unrelated assets, including a gas storage facility in Michigan and a pipeline segment in the Midwest, for $380 million.
BridgeTex Pipeline Company, in which Plains owns a 50% interest, said Monday it will expand its line from Colorado City, Texas, to Houston to help transport approximately 400,000 bpd.
Concho Resources sees net cash proceeds of about $800 million from the sale. The driller plans to use the proceeds to “redeploy capital into our drilling program, fund future acquisitions and reduce long-term debt,” Tim Leach, Concho’s chairman, CEO and president, said in a statement.
Plains was little-changed in after-market trading after rising 3.1% to $32.15 in New York Tuesday.
