Definitive

Atlas Pipeline Partners expects to announce three definitive deals for the sale of all of its Ozark assets, including the 565-mile, 400 MMcf/d interstate Ozark Gas Transmission, 50% of its new Nine Mile processing plant, and an interest in its Appalachia system within the next few weeks, which will “have significant deleveraging impact,” company officials said Tuesday.

Atlas Pipeline Partners expects to announce three definitive deals for the sale of all of its Ozark assets, including the 565-mile, 400 MMcf/d interstate Ozark Gas Transmission, 50% of its new Nine Mile processing plant, and an interest in its Appalachia system within the next few weeks, which will “have significant deleveraging impact,” company officials said Tuesday.

Petrohawk Energy Corp. has signed a definitive agreement to buy additional acreage in the Fayetteville Shale Trend from a private seller for an estimated $222.5 million. The transaction is expected to close in February. The assets, which are primarily located in Van Buren, Conway and Cleburne counties in Arkansas, include approximately 18,500 net acres along with a strategically located pipeline gathering system, the Houston-based independent producer said. The acquisition brings Petrohawk’s leasehold in the Fayetteville Shale Trend to an estimated 150,000 net acres. Petrohawk Energy said the new properties add significant reserve potential and a substantial number of locations to the company’s current inventory in play. Of the total net acreage acquired, it estimated that approximately 10% is classified as proved. Production from the properties is approximately 5 MMcfe/d, while proved reserves are about 50 Bcfe, according to the company. In December Petrohawk said it completed its purchase of 24,000 net acres of land in the Fayetteville play from Alta Resources LLC, Contango Oil & Gas Co. and some undisclosed parties. Petrohawk paid $343 million in cash for land that has an estimated reserve potential of more than 500 Bcfe, which is about 50% operated (see NGI, Dec. 24, 2007). The producer also has properties in North Louisiana, East Texas, Oklahoma and the Permian Basin.

Petrohawk Energy Corp. said Tuesday it signed a definitive agreement to buy additional acreage in the Fayetteville Shale Trend from a private seller for an estimated $222.5 million. The transaction is expected to close in February.

Petrohawk Energy Corp. has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Gulf Coast division to a privately owned company for $825 million. The sale is expected to close during the fourth quarter.

Nymex Holdings Inc., parent company of the New York Mercantile Exchange Inc. (Nymex), said this week that it has completed and signed definitive agreements with Optionable Inc. — a provider of natural gas and other energy derivatives brokerage services — and its founding stockholders, to acquire 19% of Optionable.

Calgary-based Kodiak Energy Inc. said last Monday its two-phase definitive agreement to acquire Thunder River Energy is going according to plan, with Kodiak reserving for issuance 6,867,412 common shares of Kodiak at a issue price of US$1.75 per share. The company also said last week that it has nearly completed its US$5 million, 84 square-kilometer (52 square-mile) seismic program covering its Little Chicago Prospect located in the Mackenzie River block of the Northwest Territories. More important, the oil and gas company said the prospect could contain significantly more reserves than first expected.

Calgary-based Kodiak Energy Inc. said Monday its two-phase definitive agreement to acquire Thunder River Energy is going according to plan, with Kodiak reserving for issuance 6,867,412 common shares of Kodiak at a issue price of US$1.75 per share. This first phase of the transaction would give Kodiak controlling interest of Thunder River with Kodiak having 57% upon closing.

The IntercontinentalExchange (ICE), a rising star electronic energy exchange, announced late Thursday it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire the New York Board of Trade (NYBOT), a more than 100-year-old open outcry exchange for sugar, coffee, cocoa, cotton and other commodities and financial products, for $1 billion. The transaction, which is expected to close in the first half of next year, will deliver to NYBOT 10.297 million shares of ICE common stock and $400 million in cash.