Giant

Two separate decisions in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York came down mostly on the side of shale play giant Chesapeake Energy Corp. in a year-old dispute over the extension of leases from landowners at below-market prices. Landowners in parts of four counties in New York state’s portion of the Marcellus Shale filed lawsuits against the Oklahoma-based shale operator.

Private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. LP (KKR) and Chesapeake Energy Corp. Tuesday said their new partnership will invest in key natural gas and oil basins in the United States.

Independent power giant NRG Energy Inc. CEO David Crane predicted Wednesday that the entire energy sector would be impacted by continuing low natural gas prices this year. Crane was a keynote speaker at the Jefferies 2012 Global Clean Technology Conference in New York City.

Shocking details surrounding the surprise bankruptcy of securities firm giant MF Global Holdings Ltd. were coming to light last week after the company turned in its Chapter 11 papers Monday following an ill-timed bet on the European debt markets.

Calgary’s Pembina Pipeline Corp. and Provident Energy Ltd. agreed Monday to merge in a C$3.2 billion ($3.1 billion) transaction that would create a Canadian giant with oil and natural gas pipelines to transport crude and natural gas liquids (NGL), midstream gas processing and an energy marketing arm.

Calgary’s Pembina Pipeline Corp. and Provident Energy Ltd. agreed Monday to merge in a C$3.2 billion ($3.1 billion) transaction that would create a Canadian giant with oil and natural gas pipelines to transport crude and natural gas liquids (NGL), midstream gas processing and an energy marketing arm.

As has been rumored for weeks, French energy giant Total SA is paying $2.32 billion to acquire a one-quarter stake in Chesapeake Energy Corp.’s massive Utica Shale leasehold in Ohio in the second big partnership targeting unconventional oil and gas between the companies.

The board of directors of Russian natural gas giant OAO Gazprom sounded another blast on its shale gas alarm last Tuesday, questioning the environmental and economic viability of the process that is overhauling North American markets and promising to do the same in Europe.

The board of directors of Russian natural gas giant OAO Gazprom sounded another blast on its shale gas alarm Tuesday, questioning the environmental and economic viability of the process that is overhauling North American markets and promising to do the same in Europe.