Overland

Tallgrass Energy Partners LP of Overland Park, KS, is buying a slate of assets from Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (KMP) that the partnership is selling to comply with antitrust stipulations related to Kinder Morgan Inc.’s (KMI) recent acquisition of El Paso Corp.

While there are competing proposals to break through the bottlenecks to bringing rich gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) in the Bakken formation to market, the Alliance Pipeline and Aux Sable NGL systems think they have the inside track. In the meantime, a substantial amount of NGL movement continues through rail and trucking.

Cash traders appeared to have no concern about Tropical Storm Richard possibly surviving an overland passage and emerging into the southern Gulf of Mexico this week. What mattered more to them was a persistent lack of substantive weather-based demand (either heating or cooling); storage inventories poised to hit another all-time high level; and the previous day’s screen plunge. The physical market recorded large double-digit declines across the board Friday.

ONEOK Partners LP plans to invest $300-355 million in natural gas-related projects in the Bakken Shale through 2012 to accommodate growing production, the Tulsa-based partnership said Monday.

Despite significantly lower realized commodity prices, increased volumes from the Overland Pass Pipeline and the Guardian Pipeline extension helped ONEOK Inc. keep its earnings at 39 cents/share on net income of $41.7 million in 2Q2009, compared with 39 cents/share on net income of $41.9 million in 2Q2008, the Tulsa-based company said Wednesday.

Prices plunged at all points Tuesday as the latest tropical storm threat to offshore production began an overland trek through Texas with its accompanying demand destruction from power outages and heavy rains that would help to cool off what had been an ultra-sultry Lone Star State through Monday. Of course, the previous day’s dive of 66.3 cents by September natural gas futures also contributed to the cash market softness.

Tortoise Capital Advisors LLC, whose portfolio includes emerging exploration and production master limited partnerships (MLP), has formed an oil and gas company. Headquartered in Overland Park, KS, Tortoise Gas and Oil Corp. will have equity of $82.9 million and available capital of more than $100 million for direct investments in energy producers. “We formed Tortoise Gas and Oil Corp. primarily to respond to the growing need by private and public U.S. energy production partnerships for timely and flexible direct placement financing to fund internal growth projects and acquisitions,” said Managing Director David Schulte. “We intend to invest directly in privately held companies and publicly traded MLPs operating primarily in the upstream segment, and to a lesser extent the midstream segment, of the energy sector.” Tortoise now has about $10 million invested in High Sierra Energy LP, $10 million in International Resources Partners LP and $7.5 million in EV Energy Partners LP.

UtiliCorp Energy Management (UEM) has been awarded a three-yearcontract to manage the energy requirements of Ash Grove Cement, anOverland Park, Kan.-based company operating facilities in ninewestern states. Financial terms of the agreement were notdisclosed. UEM will manage the cement company’s energy procurement,supply management, contract negotiations, and reporting and billingservices, as well as identify and implement energy cost reductionstrategies. UEM said the deal was important because it improves thegeographic presence of the company. Ash Grove Cement annually usesmore than 6.5 Bcf and 600,000 MWh at its facilities.