巴菲特公司斥资百亿购买天然气资产

根据CNN商业 7月5日纽约报道：伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司将从道明尼能源公司购买天然气输送和储存资产，交易价值近100亿美元，这是自疫情以来的该公司第一笔交易。

道明尼能源公司周日表示，伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司将支付40亿美元现金收购这些资产，并承担道明尼能源公司的57亿美元债务。

对于道明尼能源公司而言，该交易是其从天然气传输业务过渡到成为规范的“纯清洁能源”公用事业公司的一系列举措之一。该公司总部位于弗吉尼亚州里士满，是美国最大的能源生产和运输商之一，为20个州的700万客户提供电力或天然气。

同样在周日，道明尼能源公司和杜克能源公司宣布取消大西洋海岸管道项目，这是一条始于2014年的天然气管道，原定横跨西弗吉尼亚，弗吉尼亚和北卡罗来纳州数百英里。 两家公司表示，尽管该项目最近在美国最高法院获得了胜诉，但持续的延误，诉讼以及预期的成本增加威胁了该项目的经济可行性。

此次收购将扩大伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司现有的能源业务，增加超过7700英里的天然气储存和输送管道，以及约9000亿立方英尺的天然气储存量。该公司目前为全球超过 1200 万电力和天然气客户提供能源服务。

作为交易的一部分，伯克希尔将收购道明尼能源传输、奎萨管道和卡罗来纳天然气传输的全部所有权，以及伊罗奎斯天然气传输系统公司50%的运营权益和CovePoint LNG公司25%的运营权益。

该交易有望在今年第四季度完成，尚待监管部门批准。

朱寅 摘译自 CNN商业

原文如下：

Berkshire Hathaway will buy natural gas assets

In its first deal since the economic downturn caused by coronavirus, Berkshire Hathaway is purchasing natural gas transmission and storage assets from Dominion Energy in a deal worth nearly $10 billion.

Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) will pay $4 billion in cash for the assets in addition to assuming $5.7 billion in debt from Dominion Energy (D), the energy company said Sunday.

For Dominion, the deal is one in a series of moves it has made as it transitions away from the gas transmission business to becoming a "pure-play" regulated clean energy utility company. The company, which is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is one of the largest producers and transporters of energy in the nation, providing electricity or natural gas to 7 million customers in 20 states.

Also on Sunday, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy (DUK) announced the cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a natural gas pipeline initially announced in 2014 that had been set to stretch hundreds of miles across West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. The companies said that despite a recent win for the project in the US Supreme Court, ongoing delays, litigation and an expected increase in costs threatened the economic viability of the project.

The acquisition will grow Berkshire Hathaway's existing energy business, adding more than 7,700 miles of natural gas storage and transmission pipelines, and about 900 billion cubic feet of gas storage. The company currently provides energy service to more than 12 million electric and natural gas customers around the world.

As part of the deal, Berkshire will acquire full ownership of Dominion Energy Transmission, Questar Pipeline and Carolina Gas Transmission, as well as a 50% operating interest in Iroquois Gas Transmission System and a 25% operating interest in liquid natural gas shipping facility Cove Point.

The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, pending regulatory approval.