- Bolt-on Acquisition Increases Coal Mine Methane Environmental Credit Cash Flow, Expands Midstream Infrastructure, and Enhances Southern Appalachia Prices
- Strategic Refinance Incorporates 40% Improvement in Cash Flow from New Hedges and an Innovative Master Trust Structure
- Solidifies Diversified as the Leading Issuer of Oil & Gas Securitizations
Diversified Energy Company has announced the close of its previously announced acquisition of operated natural gas properties and related midstream pipeline infrastructure located within Virginia, West Virginia, and Alabama from Summit Natural Resources.
Additionally, the Company closed on an asset backed securitization ('ABS') refinancing, creating the ABS X note. Diversified will use the proceeds from the ABS transaction to consolidate and repay the outstanding principal of the previously issued ABS I, ABS II and Term Loan I, utilizing those assets plus additional Summit Natural Resources assets as collateral in the new structure. The ABS transaction will also benefit from an improved hedging profile, creating enhanced margins and cash flows. Additional proceeds from this refinancing will be used to reduce outstanding borrowings and for general corporate purposes.
Acquisition Highlights
- Acquisition net purchase price of ~$42 million
- Current net production of ~12 MMcfepd (2 Mboepd)(a)
- PDP Reserves of 65 Bcfe (11 MMBoe) with PV-10 of ~$55 million(b)
- Purchase price equivalent of ~PV-16(b)
- Estimated 2025 Adjusted EBITDA of ~$12 million(b)(c)
- Existing Coal Mine Methane (“CMM”) volumes with opportunities to extend future production and additional environmental credits
- Appalachian assets overlap existing operations providing synergies for increased cash margins
- Strategic midstream pipeline assets facilitate capability to enhance commodity realizations
- Recent improvements to commodity prices have further-enhanced the transaction economics
ABS Issuance Highlights
- $530 million ABS X note structured as a master trust
- Strategic hedges expected to add ~40% ($38 million) to EBITDA(c) of refinanced assets
- Significantly oversubscribed (6.5x) with orders from 20 unique investors, reflecting the cash flow quality of our assets and Diversified’s reputation as a responsible issuer
- Investment grade rated notes with blended fixed coupon of approximately 6.4% in A tranche
- Improved amortization expected to generate increased cash flows
Sustainability-Linked
Sustainable Fitch has again-provided a Second Party Opinion that the instrument's Key Performance Indicators (the "KPIs") align with the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA) framework for sustainability-linked bond principles, highlighting Diversified's commitment to aligning its financing with the Company's overall sustainability strategy.
*ratings established by Fitch Ratings,Inc.
Commenting on the Acquisition and ABS transaction, CEO Rusty Hutson, Jr. said:
'We are excited to announce the completion of another acquisition of high-quality, bolt-on assets that are uniquely positioned to benefit from the operational expertise of our field teams, capture higher prices with exposure to premium Transco Zone 5 pricing, and are poised to provide additional revenues from the sale of incremental environmental credits with our growth in the production of coal mine methane. We continue to believe there is a sizeable backlog of organic Coal Mine Methane cash flow growth within our current Appalachian portfolio, and this acquisition highlights our ability to leverage existing capabilities, assets, and intellectual capital to grow this segment of our revenue stream.'
Brad Gray, CFO further commented:
'Supported by a growing base of loyal credit investors, we are now a seasoned programmatic issuer, and this ABS transaction achieved record demand with a significant amount of interest from a large group of new participants. This strategic refinance improves asset level cash flow with higher hedge prices and a more refined amortization schedule. Our increasing operational scale, track record of stable asset performance, and strength of our business enable us to attract reliable sources of capital and achieve a lower overall cost of capital. This outcome is a testament to how the financial markets value Diversified’s reliable production and consistent cash flows.'
Source: Diversified Energy
