Antonio

San Antonio’s CPS Energy, the country’s largest municipally owned natural gas and power utility, will announce this week that it is buying the Rio Nogales 800 MW gas-fired power plant in Seguin, TX, a spokesperson told NGI.

Gulfmark Energy Group Inc. of San Antonio, TX, said it has obtained financing from Notre-Dame Capital Inc. of Montreal to support development of its Eagle Ford Shale assets. The company said it intends to drill through the Escondido, Olmos, San Miguel, Austin Chalk and Eagle Ford formations. “We have yet to assess all of the undeveloped potential opportunities to expand our operations utilizing horizontal wells with multi-stage fracturing technologies,” said CEO Michael Ward. “Multiple targets have been identified; however, several other opportunities are currently under evaluation and analysis. This financing will allow us to explore all resources available in our current asset base.” Gulfmark operations are currently focused on western South Texas. Terms of the financing were not disclosed.

A rupture on Enterprise Products Partners LP’s 20-inch diameter South Texas pipeline system in Wilson County southeast of San Antonio shut down a stretch of roadway Thursday afternoon, but there were no injuries and only one producer was affected, an Enterprise spokesman said. “We don’t know what happened, but shortly before 1 [p.m. Thursday] our control room personnel detected a pressure drop on that line and immediately began shutdown procedures…” spokesman Rick Rainey told NGI. “There was no ignition…but the line did rupture. A couple of county roads were shut down for a brief period. Repairs were expected to be completed by last Saturday morning. Rainey said there was no excavation going on in the area as far as Enterprise officials knew. The cause was under investigation.

Activity in the Delaware Basin of West Texas-southeastern New Mexico — specifically the Avalon and Wolfcamp shales and Bone Spring formation — has heated up enough for Nuevo Midstream LLC to take its gas processing plant near Orla, TX, out of mothballs.

Cheniere Energy Inc. has agreed to sell its 30% limited partner interest in Freeport LNG Development LP to Zachry American Infrastructure LLC, a member of the Zachry group of companies in San Antonio, TX, and Hastings Funds Management (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of Westpac Banking Corp., which is acting on behalf of institutional investors. Net proceeds of about $104 million will be used to pay down a portion of the $400 million, 9.75% term loan held by a Cheniere subsidiary. The transaction is in-line with Cheniere’s strategy of improving its capital structure and reducing debt, the company said, and is expected to close in the second quarter subject to due diligence and regulatory approvals. Freeport LNG Development owns and operates an LNG receiving and regasification terminal on Quintana Island in Texas. Houston-based Cheniere is primarily engaged in LNG related businesses and owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal and Creole Trail pipeline in Louisiana.

Houston-based EnCap Investments LP and partner Flatrock Energy Advisors, headquartered in San Antonio, have created the EnCap Energy Infrastructure Fund LP with total capital commitments of $791.6 million. The fund is tailored for investments in midstream businesses in North America. The fund managers plan to provide growth capital to “proven” management teams of gathering pipelines, natural gas treatment and processing plants, as well as interstate pipelines and storage. The midstream fund already has committed $215 million to five portfolio energy companies that include Cardinal Midstream and Rangeland Energy.

Cheniere Energy Inc. has agreed to sell its 30% limited partner interest in Freeport LNG Development LP to Zachry American Infrastructure LLC, a member of the Zachry group of companies in San Antonio, TX, and Hastings Funds Management (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of Westpac Banking Corp., which is acting on behalf of institutional investors. Net proceeds of about $104 million will be used to pay down a portion of the $400 million, 9.75% term loan held by a Cheniere subsidiary. The transaction is in-line with Cheniere’s strategy of improving its capital structure and reducing debt, the company said, and is expected to close in the second quarter subject to due diligence and regulatory approvals. Freeport LNG Development owns and operates an LNG receiving and regasification terminal on Quintana Island in Texas. Houston-based Cheniere is primarily engaged in LNG related businesses and owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal and Creole Trail pipeline in Louisiana.

Houston-based EnCap Investments LP and partner Flatrock Energy Advisors, headquartered in San Antonio, have created the EnCap Energy Infrastructure Fund LP with total capital commitments of $791.6 million. The fund is tailored for investments in midstream businesses in North America. The fund managers plan to provide growth capital to “proven” management teams of gathering pipelines, natural gas treatment and processing plants, as well as interstate pipelines and storage. The midstream fund already has committed $215 million to five portfolio energy companies that include Cardinal Midstream and Rangeland Energy.

Houston-based EnCap Investments LP and partner Flatrock Energy Advisors, headquartered in San Antonio, have created the EnCap Energy Infrastructure Fund LP with total capital commitments of $791.6 million. The fund is tailored for investments in midstream businesses in North America. The fund managers plan to provide growth capital to “proven” management teams of gathering pipelines, natural gas treatment and processing plants, as well as interstate pipelines and storage. The midstream fund already has committed $215 million to five portfolio energy companies that include Cardinal Midstream and Rangeland Energy.