As the United States energy industry grows at an exponential rate, a new trend has emerged that sees energy companies purchasing entire assets from each other to develop their respective portfolios and benefit from the rapidly expanding US energy market. In a deal that exemplifies this trend, Harvest Midstream, a major Houston-based independent midstream services company, has agreed to purchase the midstream assets from MPLX in the Uinta and Green River Basins.
2025 was a year loaded with expansionary projects for the US energy industry
Under the directive of the current administration, the remarkable expansion of the US energy industry has become a reality. Donald Trump has fostered a more welcoming environment for conventional energy developments, removing previous regulatory barriers to accelerate the rollout of new projects across the US.
MPLX has a plethora of energy assets in the United States and has recently detailed the plans for the Bay Runner, Blackcomb, and Rio Bravo pipelines. In a contrasting move, MPLX has agreed to divest its assets in the Uinta and Green River Basins to Harvest Midstream, dramatically expanding Harvest’s midstream platform in the United States.
The new acquisition has been praised by Harvest Midstream’s leadership
MPLX had an extensive natural gas gathering and processing portfolio in the Uinta and Green River Basins, and has recently agreed to sell the aforementioned assets to Harvest Midstream for an eye-watering $1 billion, positioning Harvest at the forefront of the rapidly expanding midstream sector in the US.
“We are executing on a long-term vision to build a scaled, resilient midstream network capable of supporting America’s energy needs for decades to come — and these premier MPLX assets fit squarely into that strategy. We look forward to applying our operational expertise, commercial agility, and proven track record to deliver long-term value for our customers.” – Jason C. Rebrook, CEO of Harvest Midstream
Can Harvest Midstream develop the newly acquired assets in the Uinta and Green River basins?
The two newly acquired assets by Harvest Midstream reflect the company’s ambition to become a major midstream operator in the United States over the coming years. The Green River Basin assets that Harvest has acquired include roughly 800 miles of gas gathering and transportation pipelines, while the Uinta Basin assets add 700 miles of gas gathering pipelines to Harvest Midstream’s portfolio.
Harvest Midstream is also adding 345 million cubic feet per day of active gas processing capacity at the Stagecoach and Ironhorse processing facilities in the Uinta Basin through the new acquisition, as well as approximately 500 million cubic feet per day of active gas processing capacity from the Vermilion and Blacks Fork facilities in the Green River Basin.
The United States is anticipating an increase in energy processing power this year
While the closing of the deal between MPLX and Harvest Midstream has been approved by the relevant authorities, the US administration has boosted the nation’s export capacity through the new GulfLink deepwater crude export terminal in Texas. The reality is that the US now dominates the global energy sector and shows no signs of easing up anytime soon, as new energy projects are developed and brought to fruition this year.
Will Harvest Midstream purchase more midstream assets in the near future?
To accelerate the company’s ambitions to become a best-in-class, diversified midstream enterprise, one would expect Harvest to invest in similar deals in the not-too-distant future. Certain US-based energy companies have even gone so far as to reshape leadership within the company, opening the door to a new era led by new investments in personnel and infrastructure. Harvest Midstream now owns and operates one of the largest portfolios in the United States through the newly approved acquisition of MPLX’s assets in the Uinta and Green River basins.
