Holdings

Construction is expected to begin “shortly” on the 550-acre Permian Rail Park in Texas about six miles west of Big Spring and 30 miles east of Midland, developers said.

Two-year-old Appalachia-based upstart Eclipse Resources I LP, under the management of several shale veterans, has more than doubled its holdings in the Utica Shale in a deal to acquire Oxford Oil Co. LLC, and with it 184,000 net acres and 13.8 Bcfe of proved developed producing reserves.

Private energy equity behemoth Riverstone Holdings LLC has raised $7.7 billion to invest in energy businesses, exceeding its original $6 billion target, the firm said Wednesday.

Former Anadarko Petroleum Corp. chief Jim Hackett was appointed to co-lead the Houston office of private energy investment giant Riverstone Holdings LLC. Hackett stepped down as Anadarko CEO in 2012 and retired as executive chairman in May; he still plans to pursue a master’s degree in theological studies at Harvard Divinity School, completing a two-year program over the next four years (see Daily GPI, March 12). Working at Riverstone is “a way to still stay in touch with a business I love as a principal, but to do it very much in light of my primary duty, which is to go back to school.” Riverstone, founded in 2000, has nearly $24 billion in seven investment funds, with equity invested in operators that include deepwater explorer Cobalt International Energy Inc., midstreamer Magellan Midstream Partners LP and UK shale explorer Cuadrilla Resources Ltd.

With its latest $5.59 billion acquisition of Las Vegas-based NV Energy Inc., announced last week, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. would be a $66 billion natural gas and electric utility serving more than eight million customers globally, with a line-up that includes two major U.S. interstate natural gas pipelines, a renewable energy portfolio, as well as international grid and generation businesses.

After adding its $5.59 billion acquisition of Las Vegas-based NV Energy Inc. announced late Wednesday, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., will be a $66 billion combination natural gas and electric utility company serving more than 8 million customers globally, along with a growing renewable energy portfolio, international grid and generation businesses and two major interstate natural gas pipelines.

NorthWestern Energy Corp. has increased its natural gas holdings in northern Montana’s Bear Paw Basin by acquiring some assets from Devon Energy Corp.

To give the growing Permian Basin its full focus, Laredo Petroleum Holdings Inc. has agreed to sell all of its Granite Wash properties in the Anadarko Basin to affiliates of EnerVest Ltd. for $438 million in cash.

Robert Douglas Lawler, 46, one of Anadarko Petroleum Corp.’s top exploration and production (E&P) executives, on Monday was named the new CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corp.