CenterPoint Energy To Acquire Gathering And Processing Assets In Northeast Texas

HOUSTON, June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CenterPoint Energy Field Services, LLC (CEFS), an indirect, wholly-owned natural gas gathering, processing and treating subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP), announced today that it has entered into two agreements to acquire gathering and processing assets located primarily in northeast Texas.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20020930/CNPLOGO)

• The first is an agreement to acquire gathering and processing assets from Prism Gas Systems I, L.P. (Prism), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Martin Midstream Partners L.P. (NASDAQ: MMLP), and certain other gathering and processing assets from MMLP's Natural Gas Services segment for approximately $275 million, subject to certain adjustments. The assets to be acquired include Prism's 50 percent interest in Waskom Gas Processing Company ( Waskom). A subsidiary of CEFS currently owns the other 50 percent interest in Waskom.
• CEFS has also entered into a 15-year agreement with Encana Oil & Gas ( USA) Inc. (Encana), a subsidiary of Encana Corporation (NYSE: ECA), to gather and treat its natural gas production from the Amoruso and Hilltop fields located in Robertson and Leon counties in east Texas. In connection with entering into the gathering agreement, which includes volume commitments and acreage dedication, CEFS purchased Encana's 139-mile Amoruso gathering systems for approximately $89 million. Amoruso currently has more than 200 million cubic feet per day of natural gas throughput primarily from the Deep Bossier and Cotton Valley Lime formations.

"We are very excited about these acquisitions, which will strategically increase our portfolio of gathering and processing assets," said Greg Harper, group president of CenterPoint Energy's Midstream businesses. "These transactions expand our capabilities in a liquids-rich production area and position us as the operator of key processing assets in northeast Texas."

Prism Transaction

The assets to be acquired from Prism, located primarily in northeast Texas, include:

• Prism's 50 percent interest in Waskom, which includes a 320 million cubic feet per day natural gas processing facility, a 14,500 barrels per day fractionation plant, and the Harrison system, a 75 million cubic feet per day gathering system,
• The Woodlawn plant and gathering system, a 30 million cubic feet per day gathering and processing system with 135 miles of gathering pipe, and
• The McLeod, Hallsville and Darco gathering systems, which combine to gather and treat more than 40 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and are located near the other assets to be acquired in east Texas and northwest Louisiana.

"We have seen a significant increase in producer activity due to the improved economics of producing liquids-rich natural gas in the Cotton Valley field as well as other nearby formations," said Bill May, division senior vice president and chief commercial officer of CenterPoint Energy's Field Services business. " Waskom provides a competitive outlet for natural gas liquids, including ethane, as well as several take-away options for natural gas including our CenterPoint Energy Gas Transmission pipeline and direct access to our Perryville Hub™."

The Prism transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions, including Hart, Scott, Rodino approval, and satisfactory completion of due diligence, and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2012.

1 2 3 Next › Last »