Speaking Energy

2023 saw two megadeals in the oil & gas industry that have led to calls from environmental interest groups for the FTC to intervene despite a lack of obvious antitrust issues. Whether the FTC will sue to block the deals remains to be seen.

It seems likely the year ahead will see only a modest rebound in mergers & acquisitions (M&A) activity. Among the challenges that remain for 2024, one challenge to further deal activity is the potential shortage of attractive assets coming to market. Another hindrance to the depth of the M&A markets is the ongoing—and widening—valuation gap between the big energy giants and the smaller producers that is now reaching historic levels.

The past year has been broadly characterized as one of limited public market activity and rising interest rates putting a dampener on access to capital. For the oil & gas industry, the volume of debt & equity offerings remained at historically low levels. With bank lenders and some institutional investors also continuing to retreat from the market, it has been a year in which alternative sources of capital have come to the fore.

We are pleased to share a recording of Akin Gump’s mid-year energy briefing that recently took place, along with the presentation materials.

(Houston) – Akin Gump is pleased to announce it has released its “2020 Energy Year in Review,” which examines the current state of the global energy market and highlights the energy matters with which the firm was involved last year across the following areas:

• Mergers, Acquisitions & Strategic Transactions
• Capital Markets
• Financing
• Project Development
• Financial Restructuring
• Energy Litigation.

(Houston) – Akin Gump is pleased to announce it has released its “2019 Energy Year in Review,” which examines the current state of the global energy market and highlights the energy matters with which the firm was involved last year across the following areas:

(Houston) – Akin Gump is pleased to announce it has released its “2015 Energy Year in Review,” which examines the current state of the global energy market and highlights the energy matters with which the firm was involved last year in the following areas:

• M&A
• financial restructuring
• capital markets
• lending
• project development and project finance
• energy regulation, markets and enforcement
• energy litigation and international arbitration.

Amidst the current downturn in oil prices, many expect and hope for, an increase in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the coming months.¹ Whereas past downturns created an opportunity for major acquisitions, such as Exxon’s merger with Mobil and BP’s purchase of Amoco in the late 1990s, this time around, distressed asset transactions involving the growing number of heavily indebted shale producers and oil field service companies appear more likely.² As many companies slip into bankruptcy in 2016,³ Section 363 sales present one avenue for deal flow. Yet, outside of the courtroom, non-363 sales, while carrying certain risks, present opportunities for buyers seeking to capture value by acquiring assets at reduced prices.