Buckeye Partners Acquires Midstream Assets for $860m

Buckeye Partners L.P. signed a definitive agreement to acquire an 80% interest in a company that will be jointly owned with Trafigura AG for $860 million. The company – Buckeye Texas Partners – and its subsidiaries will own and operate a vertically integrated system of midstream assets, including a deep-water, high-volume marine terminal located on the

Corpus Christi Ship Channel, a condensate splitter and LPG storage complex in Corpus Christi, and three crude oil and condensate gathering facilities in the Eagle Ford shale.

All of the assets are supported 7-seven-year to 10-year minimum volume throughput, storage and tolling agreements with Trafigura.

“This transaction allows Buckeye to acquire and further develop a midstream platform in the Gulf Coast with long-term committed revenues and significant potential for further growth,” said Clark C. Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of Buckeye. “We expect this unique integrated system of assets will allow us to capitalize on the rapidly growing production in the Eagle Ford shale. This acquisition complements our portfolio of marine terminal assets in strategic energy hubs and further enhances the logistical solutions we can provide across these key energy markets.”

Upon completion of initial development phase, the assets will form an integrated system with connectivity from the production in the field to the marine terminal infrastructure in Corpus Christi, creating a premier logistics platform.

The Corpus Christi facilities have five vessel berths, including three deep- water docks, and upon completion of initial development phase, will offer approximately 5.6 million barrels of liquid petroleum products storage capacity along with rail and truck loading/unloading capability. A 50,000 barrel per day condensate splitter is currently under construction and is anticipated to be completed by mid-2015, after which Buckeye Texas Partners will commence operations under a seven-year fixed-fee tolling agreement with Trafigura.

In addition, three field gathering facilities with associated storage and pipeline connectivity will allow Buckeye Texas Partners to move Eagle Ford crude and condensate production directly to the terminalling complex in Corpus Christi.