Covey Park Energy LLC is paying down debt as it makes moves to go public, the Dallas-based company said April 24.

The company and its affiliate, Covey Park Finance Corp., intend to offer $450 million of senior unsecured notes due 2025 in a private placement. The company said it expects to use the proceeds from the debt offering to repay in full and terminate its term loan facility and also pay a portion of outstanding debt under its revolver.

Relating to its IPO, Covey Park Energy Holdings LLC confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The size and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined. The IPO is expected to commence in 2017, according to a company release.

Deals in 2016 by Covey Park, the largest acreage holder in the Haynesville/Bossier shales, have fueled speculation that it might explore an IPO. Recently, the company paid about $465 million for a chunk of Chesapeake Energy Corp.'s (NYSE: CHK) Haynesville acreage in northern Louisiana.

Another Haynesville E&P, Vine Resources Inc., also launched its $500 million IPO earlier this month.

Covey Park was formed in 2013 with an equity commitment of roughly $300 million from Denham Capital.

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