Chevron Corp (
CVX
), the second-largest energy company in the US, has probably taken
a leaf out of Exxon Mobil's (
XOM
) book to boost its natural gas resources.
California-based Chevron said it will buy natural gas producer
Atlas Energy Inc. (
ATLS
) in a $4.3 billion deal to gain attractive natural gas resource
positions in southwestern Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale.
Energy behemoths, flush with cash, have been scouting for
additional resources. Recently Exxon Mobil, the largest energy
company in the US, shelled out $41 billion to buy natural gas firm
XTO Energy in one of the biggest deals in the industry.
Chevron has $10.96 billion in cash and cash equivalents as of
Sept. 30, 2010.
Of late, cold weather in the U.S. has been driving demand for
natural gas and price touched as high as $6 per British thermal
unit (btu). Currently, natural gas futures are trading near a
three-month high at $4.088 per btu on the New York Mercantile
Exchange on expectations that cooler temperatures in the U.S.
Northeast will bolster heating demand.
About 52 percent of U.S. households use natural gas for heating,
according to the Energy Department.
Since late 2009, gas prices have begun to recover after the
economic recession dampened the price of natural gas, resulting in
lower activity as well as big deals.
No wonder now energy giants are looking to exploit the situation
and are willing to acquire new potential natural gas resources like
Marcellus Shale.
\"This acquisition is the right opportunity for Chevron,\" said
George Kirkland, Chevron Vice Chairman. \"We are acquiring a
company that has one of the premier acreage positions in the
prolific Marcellus. The high quality resource, competitive cost
structure in the Marcellus, strong growth potential of the asset
base and its proximity to premier natural gas markets make this
targeted acquisition a compelling investment for Chevron.\"
Kirkland also commented: \"The Atlas Energy assets further
advance Chevron's global shale gas position, complementing the
company's recent entrance into shale gas opportunities in Poland,
Romania and Canada.\"
Why Marcellus Shale?
Marcellus Shale, which extends through Pennsylvania, New York,
Ohio and West Virginia, is touted to become one of the biggest gas
fields in the U.S. In 2002, the United States Geological Survey
said the Marcellus Shale contained an estimated undiscovered
resource of about 1.9 trillion cubic feet of gas.
In early 2008, Terry Englander, a geoscience professor at
Pennsylvania State University, and Gary Lash, a geology professor
at the State University of New York at Fredonia, said the Marcellus
Shale might contain more than 500 trillion cubic feet (
TFC
) of natural gas, of which 50 TFC would be recoverable by advanced
drilling techniques.
The United States produces about 30 TFC of natural gas each year
and if these estimates prove correct, the Marcellus Shale could
more than suffice the US natural gas demand and could be one of the
biggest natural gas fields in the U.S.
Other biggest gas fields in the U.S. include Barnett Shale in
Texas, Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas and the Haynesville Shale in
Louisiana.
The Deal
Chevron will pay Atlas Energy shareholders $43.34 a share, a 37
percent premium to Atlas Energy's closing share price on Nov.
8.
Atlas Energy shareholders will receive $38.25 in cash for each
outstanding share, and will also receive a pro-rata share of a
distribution of over 41 million units of Atlas Pipeline Holdings,
L.P. (
AHD
). Based on AHD's most recent closing price on November 8, these
units have a value of $5.09 per Atlas Energy share.
In total, Chevron will pay Atlas Energy $3.2 billion in cash and
assume net debt of about $1.1 billion.
The deal will give Chevron Atlas Energy's estimated nine
trillion cubic feet of natural gas resource, which includes about
850 billion cubic feet of proved natural gas reserves with
approximately 80 million cubic feet of daily natural gas
production. California-based Chevron produced 5 billion cubic feet
of natural gas in the third quarter.
The assets in the Appalachian basin consist of 486,000 net acres
of Marcellus Shale; 623,000 net acres of Utica Shale; and a 49
percent interest in Laurel Mountain Midstream, LLC, a joint venture
which owns over 1,000 miles of intrastate and natural gas gathering
lines servicing the Marcellus.
As part of the deal, Atlas Energy will acquire a 49 percent
interest in Laurel Mountain Midstream LLC from Atlas Pipeline
Partners L.P. (
APL
) for a cash consideration of $403 million.
Atlas Energy will also sell all interests in existing investment
partnerships, 175 billion cubic feet of proved natural gas
reserves, and certain other energy assets to AHD for $250 million,
comprising $30 million in cash and $220 million in newly issued AHD
units.
Goldman Sachs is acting as financial advisor to Chevron, while
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher Flom LLP is acting as legal advisor.
Jefferies & Company Inc. and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
are advising Atlas Energy, while Wachtell Lipton Rosen Katz is
providing legal advice.
Reliance JV
In April 2010, Atlas Energy entered a joint venture with
Reliance Industries Limited to develop its Marcellus assets. Now,
Chevron will assume Atlas Energy's role as operator with 60 percent
participation in the Marcellus joint venture. Reliance, however,
will continue to fund 75 percent of the operator's drilling costs
estimated at $1.4 billion.
Share Movement
Shares of Chevron fell 90 cents, or 1.06 percent, in the
pre-market hours Tuesday after closing Monday's trading on the NYSE
at $84.80.
On the other hand, Atlas Energy shares surged 36 percent in the
pre-market hours to $43.25 on Nasdaq. They closed Monday's regular
trading at $31.72.