US pipeline operator Oneok is set to expand its operations in the Permian Basin through two acquisitions valued at a total of $5.9bn.
The company will acquire a 43% interest in EnLink Midstream from Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and GIP’s equity interests in Medallion Midstream, a crude gathering and transportation system in the region.
EnLink and Medallion will complement ONEOK’s existing NGL and crude infrastructure in the Permian Basin.
They include 1.7 billion cubic feet per day of Permian gas processing capacity and 1.6 million barrels per day of crude gathering capacity.
ONEOK anticipates leveraging these acquisitions to offer new services to producers in the area.
The EnLink deal will bolster ONEOK’s integrated gas and NGL platform in Oklahoma and provide operations in North Texas that yield reliable cash flows.
These operations are directly connected to Mont Belvieu by ONEOK’s NGL pipelines.
Additionally, the acquisition will grant ONEOK a new position in Louisiana, which includes NGL fractionation and natural gas pipeline capacities, linked to key demand centres.
The company also anticipates benefitting from the natural gas transmission assets due to growing industrial demand driven by data centres, liquefied natural gas, ammonia and hydrogen production.
The Medallion acquisition, coupled with the control of EnLink, is expected to yield commercial synergies, particularly by integrating the mid-continent gathering and processing systems and optimising Gulf Coast NGL assets.
ONEOK projects that these acquisitions, along with other planned activities, will result in annual synergies ranging from $250m to $450m within three years.
The deals have received unanimous approval from ONEOK’s board and are expected to close early in the fourth quarter of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions.
ONEOK president and CEO Pierce Norton II said: “ONEOK has a long-standing reputation as being intentional in building a premier energy infrastructure company, and today’s transactions further solidify that status by adding complementary assets that allow us to continue expanding and extending our value chain.
“We are particularly excited to meaningfully increase our company’s presence in the Permian Basin, which is expected to continue driving the majority of US oil and gas growth. ONEOK has demonstrated its ability to bring assets together and capture synergies, and we are confident that these accretive transactions will enhance value for our stakeholders and will allow us to provide enhanced offerings across multiple ONEOK platforms.”
These acquisitions follow ONEOK’s $18.8bn purchase of Magellan Midstream Partners in September 2023.
