Deal-making is picking up pace
Offloading assets drives US deal-making
An accelerating vaccine rollout and robust oil prices encourage consolidation across marginal plays
Deal-making in the US shale patch recorded a sluggish Q1 for the third year in a row but appears to be picking up pace, as highlighted by the recent $6.2bn takeover of West Texas producer DoublePoint Energy. Big-name shale producers were snapped up in the latter half of last year as consolidation took hold. By contrast, transfers of asset ownership, rather than corporate M&A, have been the preferred choice of operators so far in 2021, potentially due to oil prices rising above $60/bl and a strengthening US economy buoying the price expectations of would-be prey. “Management teams know they need a stellar case to justify deals to investors” Meats, Morningstar “Asset-focused deals
Also in this section
30 July 2025
Owing to social, political and geographical factors, Canadian LNG projects are a complex proposition versus competing facilities on the US Gulf of Mexico.
29 July 2025
The EU’s Russia sanctions could have far-reaching implications for India’s Vadinar-based refinery
29 July 2025
There is a good strategic case for China to sign a deal for gas supplies via the proposed Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, but Beijing’s concerns over over-dependency on a single supplier and desire to drive down the price make it relatively unlikely that a contract will be finalised this year.
29 July 2025
EU industry and politicians are pushing back against the bloc’s green agenda. Meanwhile, Brussels’ transatlantic trade deal with Washington could consolidate US energy dominance.
