Buying

Cash natural gas prices fell on average just over a nickel Thursday as weather continued to moderate and buyers balked at buying spot gas and resorted to storage gas withdrawals. Nearly all points experienced losses, and the biggest declines were seen on New England pipelines. Eastern points were also weak, and in the Midwest, prices slipped just under a nickel.

Chesapeake Energy Corp.’s co-founder and CEO Aubrey McClendon officially stepped out of the batter’s box Monday, but there’s no permanent replacement and no timetable on when a successor will be named, said acting CEO Steven Dixon. However, operations are running “smoothly,” despite some constraints in the Utica Shale.

A unit of Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd. is buying an undivided 25% interest in the Barnett Shale assets of Quicksilver Resources Inc. for $485 million, marking a milestone for the debt-laden Fort Worth, TX-based producer, which has long sought a Barnett partner.

Rangeland Energy is buying land near Loving, NM, where it plans to develop a large terminal facility to handle crude oil, frack sand, pipe and other products; plans for a crude oil pipeline to the terminal also are in the works, the company said Monday.

Houston-based Sanchez Energy Corp. is buying producing acreage in the Eagle Ford Shale for $265 million that will more than double current company-wide production and increase proved reserves by 63%.

Aurora Oil & Gas Ltd. is buying a 100% operated working interest in 2,700 net acres in South Texas in the liquids-rich area of the Eagle Ford Shale for $117.5 million.

The Laclede Group Inc. is buying Southern Union Co.’s Missouri Gas Energy (MGE) and New England Gas Co. (NEG) utilities for $1.035 billion in cash and debt. Southern Union was purchased earlier this year by Energy Transfer Equity LP (ETE) an affiliate of Energy Transfer Partners LP (ETP), which focuses on the midstream.

The Laclede Group Inc. is buying Southern Union Co.’s Missouri Gas Energy (MGE) and New England Gas Co. (NEG) utilities for $1.035 billion in cash and debt. Southern Union was purchased earlier this year by Energy Transfer Equity LP (ETE) an affiliate of Energy Transfer Partners LP (ETP), which focuses on the midstream.

Plains All American Pipeline LP (PAA) is buying three crude oil rail terminals in the Eagle Ford, Bakken and Niobrara producing regions, as well as various contractual arrangements, from U.S. Development Group (USD) for $500 million.