Rystad: Global Upstream Could See Another $150B Merger This Year

So far this year, the global upstream oil and gas market has seen more than $64 billion in mergers and acquisitions, and the year could still see more mega-deals, according to the latest report from Rystad Energy on Monday.  

While recent deals have focused on the Permian Basin, Rystad says it is looking to other American shale patch venues for the next big deals amid an ongoing trend of consolidation. 

The $64 billion in global M&A value booked so far this year is the best Q1 performance the industry has seen since 2019. The $64 billion also represents a 145% jump in M&A dealmaking in the industry compared to the same quarter of last year. North American upstream M&A accounted for almost $54 billion this year, representing around 83% or the total value of deals so far this year, Rystad said, as reported by Reuters. 

According to Rystad, North American upstream deals for the first quarter of this year came in at $54 in value, and $80 billion in North American oil and gas assets remain up for sale. Rystad estimates that the American shale patch will account for the bulk of new M&A activity. 

“The Permian has been the focal point for M&A activity in recent times, but that focus is waning as available assets in the basin become scarce. But with appetite still strong, deal-hungry players are looking outside the basin for acquisitions. A power shift could be on the cards, with non-Permian assets taking center stage in the future North American deals pipeline,” Rystad Energy’s Atul Raina, Vice President of Upstream Research, said in a report. 

Attention will now shift to Bakken, Marcellus and Haynesville assets, with key companies still looking to divest non-core assets, including Chevron, which is seeking to divest up to $15 billion in assets by 2028.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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