Encana Corp. (NYSE, TO: ECA) is clearing out more U.S. gas assets with the sale of the LNG business run by Encana Natural Gas Inc. (ENGI) of Denver.
The divestment and Encana’s announced $1.8 billion sale in March of Wyoming natural gas properties in the Jonah Field furthers the company’s transition strategy to forgo gas for liquids growth.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Beaumont, Texas-based Stabilis Energy announced April 14 it agreed to purchase substantially all of the U.S.-based assets of ENGI. Stabilis has an LNG facility under construction and will be able to produce about 100,000 LNG gallons per day when complete.
Calgary's Encana launched a transition strategy in 2014 to grow liquids production by 90%—or 30% of total production growth. The company said in December it would invest about 75% of its 2014 capital into five high-return oil and liquids-rich plays: the Montney, Duvernay, D-J Basin, San Juan Basin and Tuscaloosa Marine Shale.
ENGI, a subsidiary of Encana, is a leading distributor of LNG fuel to domestic high horsepower engine operators in the oilfield, mining, rail, marine, over the road transportation, and industrial sectors. In addition to adding ENGI's staff, Stabilis agreed to purchase its fleet of cryogenic rolling stock assets including storage and regasification trailers, mobile fueling units, and other related equipment. Stabilis will fulfill ENGI’s entire existing customer obligations including its existing contracts, subject to customer consent.
After the transaction closes, Stabilis will operate one of the largest cryogenic rolling stock fleets in North America across 20 states and multiple end markets, including oilfield, mining, rail, marine, and general industrial.
Stabilis plans to open its first LNG production facility in George West, Texas, in January 2015 to service oilfield customers in the Eagle Ford Shale. The facility is being built as part of a previously announced venture with Flint Hills Resources LLC, a leading refining, chemical and biofuels company and a subsidiary of Koch Industries, to build up to five LNG production facilities that target oilfield customers.
"Encana is pleased that Stabilis Energy will carry on the outstanding LNG business that our natural gas team has worked hard to build over the past several years," David Hill, executive vice president of Encana Corp., said in the April 14 release. "Encana believes that natural gas has a bright future as a domestic fuel source for high horsepower engines and that LNG will be an important part of this value chain."
Encana will remain a customer of Stabilis for LNG. Senior management teams from ENGI will assume leadership positions with Stabilis. The transaction is set to close on April 30.
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