Senior

The senior executives of Halcon Resources Corp. have a fatter checkbook than when they started Eagle Ford Shale pioneer Petrohawk Energy Corp. not so very long ago. Having sold that successful natural gas-focused venture, with Halcon they are targeting unconventional oil plays with a similar strategy and expecting similar success.

The senior executives of Halcon Resources Corp. have a fatter checkbook than when they started Eagle Ford Shale pioneer Petrohawk Energy Corp. not so very long ago. Having sold that successful natural gas-focused venture, with Halcon they are targeting unconventional oil plays with a similar strategy and expecting similar success.

Seeing a rally in natural gas prices that could push them up to the $3.50 to the low $4 area in the next two to three years, Princeton, NJ-based NRG Energy Inc. senior executives speculated Wednesday that there may be the beginning of a reversal of the ongoing coal-to-gas switch for power generation, particularly in the Texas market in which NRG is the second biggest generator.

Rep. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, the leading Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, a senior Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, on Thursday urged President Obama to use his power under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 to restrict the export of natural gas, coal, petroleum products and petrochemical feedstocks. Markey earlier in the year introduced two bills to block liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.

Rep. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, the leading Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, a senior Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, on Thursday urged President Obama to use his power under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 to restrict the export of natural gas, coal, petroleum products and petrochemical feedstocks. Markey earlier in the year introduced two bills to block liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports (see Daily GPI, Feb. 15).

Cheniere Energy Partners LP said it will soon launch the syndication of two new credit facilities totaling about $2 billion. The new senior secured syndicated credit facilities include $750 million at Cheniere Partners and $1.3 billion at Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC. Proceeds from the Cheniere Energy Partners credit facility will be used to fund the acquisition of the Creole Trail Pipeline, to pay for pipeline improvement and modification costs and for other purposes. Proceeds from the Sabine Pass Liquefaction credit facility will be used to fund the costs of developing, constructing and placing into service the first two liquefaction trains of the Sabine Pass LNG liquefaction project. Closing is expected by the end of the second quarter in conjunction with the closing of equity financing and the purchase of the Creole Trail Pipeline. Cheniere Energy Partners recently announced several deals intended to fund the Sabine Pass liquefaction project (see Daily GPI, May 16).

Jesus Soto Jr., the current vice president for operations services at El Paso Corps.’ pipeline group, will become Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s (PG&E) senior vice president for gas transmission, operations, engineering and pipeline integrity beginning May 29. At El Paso, Soto deals with providing technical services and support to pipeline field operations covering measurement, compression, reserve/pipeline systems, federal Department of Transportation compliance and risk management. Soto previously worked for ANR Pipeline, Colorado Interstate Gas, Southern Natural Gas and Tennessee Gas Pipeline for onshore and offshore facilities. He holds a civil engineering degree from the University of Texas-El Paso and a master’s in engineering from Texas A&M.

Magnum Hunter Resources Corp. unit Bakken Hunter LLC has agreed to acquire Williston Basin properties from an affiliate of Baytex Energy Corp. for $311 million in cash. The company also said Wednesday it is trimming spending in Appalachia because of low natural gas prices.

As operators search for water treatment options in shale plays, they are hearing some crazy pitches, according to Rick McCurdy, senior engineering adviser for Chesapeake Energy Corp.