Equity

Global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. LP and affiliates (KKR) said its energy and infrastructure platform now manages $4 billion in non-private equity related assets following its most recent fund closings.

MarkWest Utica EMG LLC, a partnership between Appalachian midstream provider MarkWest Energy Partners LP and private equity fund The Energy and Minerals Group (EMG), has secured agreements to process and transport Gulfport Energy Corp.’s growing natural gas volumes from three eastern Ohio counties between now and 2014. The partners also are expanding one Utica Shale midstream facility and building a new plant to ensure producers have enough fractionation services available.

Woodside has accepted an offer from Japan Australia LNG (MIMI Browse) Pty Ltd (MIMI) to purchase a minority portion of its equity in the proposed Browse LNG Development in western Australia for US$2 billion with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2012. MIMI is to take a 16% interest in the East Browse joint venture (JV) and 8% interest in the West Browse JV, giving it an estimated 14.7% interest in the Browse development. Woodside’s assumed unitized interest in the Browse liquefaction and export project would fall from 46% to 31.3%. Woodside would remain operator of the development. Woodside has also accepted an offer from MIMI for a long-term sales and purchase agreement for about 1.5 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year from the Browse development. The price was said to be in line with “traditional Asian pricing for conventional LNG projects.” The parties will jointly market co-mingled LNG volumes to the Asian market, primarily Japanese customers, Woodside said.

FERC Friday approved a request by Energy Transfer Equity LP subsidiaries Trunkline LNG Co., Trunkline LNG Export and Trunkline Gas Co. to initiate a prefiling review process for their plans to build a natural gas liquefaction project and associated facilities in Lake Charles, LA.

Energy Transfer Equity LP’s Trunkline LNG Co., Trunkline LNG Export and Trunkline Gas Co. units have filed to initiate the prefiling review process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for their plan to build a natural gas liquefaction project in Lake Charles, LA.

A Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP (BPP) subsidiary has paid approximately $285 million to Boardwalk Pipelines Holding Corp. (BPHC) for the remaining 80% equity interest in Boardwalk HP Storage Co., the Houston-based partnership said Monday.

Boosted by unconventional natural gas and oil, particularly from North America, ExxonMobil Corp. added 1.8 billion boe to its proved reserves base in 2011, replacing 107% of natural gas and production, the company said Thursday.

Apache Corp. is picking up 254,000 net acres in the Granite Wash, Tonkawa, Cleveland and Marmaton plays in Oklahoma and Texas with estimated proved reserves of 71.5 million boe through a $2.85 billion deal to acquire privately held Cordillera Energy Partners III LLC, the Houston-based company said Monday.

February natural gas closed modestly higher Tuesday as prices generally ignored soaring oil and equity markets and posted an ominous new low during the session. Traders suggested that further price declines were likely. At the close February had risen 0.4 cent to $2.993 and March had inched higher 0.6 cent to $3.022. February crude oil bounded higher by $4.13 to $102.96/bbl.