Summit Midstream Corporation Announces the Acquisition of Moonrise Midstream and Provides DJ Basin Operational Update

Rhea-AI Summary

Summit Midstream (NYSE: SMC) has acquired Moonrise Midstream from Fundare Resources for $90 million, comprising $70 million in cash and $20 million in SMC equity. The acquisition expands Summit's DJ Basin footprint with ~80 miles of natural gas gathering pipeline, ~25 miles of crude oil gathering pipeline, and 65 MMcf/d of processing capacity (expandable to ~100 MMcf/d).

The transaction represents a value-accretive acquisition multiple of approximately 5.0x 2024 Adjusted EBITDA. The Moonrise assets, located in Weld County, Colorado, include a 65 MMcf/d natural gas processing plant, 22,300 horsepower of compression, and long-term fee-based contracts covering approximately 60,000 leased acres from key customers including Fundare Resources, Verdad, Bison IV, and a large integrated energy company.

The acquisition aims to provide additional processing capacity and system redundancy while positioning Summit to handle future volume growth efficiently. Currently, three rigs are operating in Summit's dedicated acreage, with key customers planning multi-year development starting in 2026.

Positive

• Value-accretive acquisition at 5.0x 2024 EBITDA multiple
• Leverage-neutral transaction structure
• Adds 65 MMcf/d processing capacity, expandable to 100 MMcf/d
• Long-term fee-based contracts with 60,000 acres of dedications
• Operational synergies through existing system interconnections
• Provides additional capacity for customer growth starting 2026

Negative

• Current system constraints forcing customers to defer 2025 development activity
• $70 million cash portion financed through credit facility increasing debt

HOUSTON, March 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Summit Midstream Corporation (NYSE: SMC) ("Summit", "SMC" or the "Company")  announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Summit Midstream Holdings, LLC ("SMP Holdings"), has acquired Moonrise Midstream, LLC ("Moonrise" or "Moonrise Midstream") from Fundare Resources Company Holdco, LLC ("Fundare") for a total consideration of $90 million, including $70 million in cash and $20 million in SMC equity. Summit also provided an operational update for its broader DJ Basin position.

Highlights

• Expands Summit's gathering and processing footprint in the DJ Basin with ~80 miles of natural gas gathering pipeline, ~25 miles of crude oil gathering pipeline and 65 MMcf/d of additional processing capacity, expandable to ~100 MMcf/d with modest capital investment
• Provides Summit's DJ Basin customers with additional processing capacity, redundancy and flow assurance, while positioning Summit to handle sizeable volume growth expected in the future in a capital-efficient manner
• Represents the continuation of Summit's corporate consolidation strategy, building scale through strategic, bolt-on acquisitions in key basins where Summit can drive additional value through commercial and operational synergies
• Value-accretive acquisition multiple of approximately 5.0x 2024 Adjusted EBITDA
• Transaction structure includes $70 million of up-front cash, which is leverage-neutral, representing ~3.9x 2024 Adjusted EBITDA
• Creates commercial and operational synergies, commercial upside and additional in-basin consolidation opportunities

Heath Deneke, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, commented, "We are pleased to announce the successful completion of this strategic bolt-on acquisition that further enhances our position in the DJ Basin. This acquisition not only expands our footprint and dedicated acreage in one of the most active areas of the DJ Basin but also provides incremental processing capacity that we expect to utilize in the coming years as volumes behind our legacy systems continue to grow. Following the acquisitions of the Outrigger and Sterling systems in December 2022, we have experienced significant volume growth behind our integrated DJ gathering and processing system and certain areas of our system are nearing full utilization. As a result of the limited available system capacity, some of our customers have deferred development activity behind our system in 2025. There are currently three rigs running behind our dedicated acreage position in the DJ and two of our key customers have sizeable multi-year development plans beginning in 2026. Moonrise adds 65 MMcf/d of processing capacity, approximately half of which is expected to be available to help alleviate our integrated DJ system constraints and enable our customers to continue to increase activity and grow volumes in 2026 and beyond.  

Summit is already operationally connected to the Moonrise system through multiple existing interconnections, and we expect to capture significant operational and commercial synergies with the combined systems. The expanded pipeline footprint will alleviate localized pipeline constraints on the northern end of our system and enable Summit to optimize capital expenditures as development shifts further north. With additional and expandable processing capacity at Moonrise, we will be able to further improve our plant operating margins, reduce reliance on third-party offloads, increase our overall system reliability and flow assurance, and optimize NGL recoveries, which will benefit both Summit and our customers.

We remain extremely excited about the long-term opportunities in the DJ Basin as our customers continue to execute their development programs, with more than 800 dedicated undeveloped locations and sizable acreage positions in the area that Summit is very well-positioned to serve with the combined systems."

Transaction Details

Under the terms of the acquisition agreements, Summit will acquire 100% of the membership interest in Moonrise Midstream, LLC for $70 million upfront cash consideration, financed through Summit's credit facility, and approximately 0.5 million shares of SMC Class A common stock.

Moonrise Midstream Overview

The Moonrise assets, located in Weld County, Colorado, are comprised of a 65 MMcf/d natural gas processing plant, approximately 80 miles of low-pressure natural gas gathering lines, 22,300 horsepower of compression, and approximately 25 miles of crude oil gathering pipelines. The gathering agreements for Moonrise are long-term, primarily fee-based contracts with approximately 50% of dedicated volumes under life-of-lease agreements and the other 50% have a weighted average remaining term of over 13 years. Volume throughput on the Moonrise system is underpinned by acreage dedications, with an estimated 60,000 leased acres from its key customers, including Fundare Resources, Verdad, Bison IV and a large integrated energy company. The dedicated acreage spans highly productive, oil prone areas within the DJ Basin, with producers primarily targeting the Niobrara and Codell formations. Moonrise delivers residue gas to Trailblazer / Rockies Express Pipeline, natural gas liquids to Overland Pass Pipeline, and crude oil to Pony Express Pipeline.

Advisors

Troutman Pepper Locke L.L.P. served as legal advisor to Summit. Evercore served as financial advisor and Baker Botts L.L.P. served as legal advisor to Fundare.

About Summit Midstream Corporation

SMC is a value-driven corporation focused on developing, owning and operating midstream energy infrastructure assets that are strategically located in the core producing areas of unconventional resource basins, primarily shale formations, in the continental United States. SMC provides natural gas, crude oil and produced water gathering, processing and transportation services pursuant to primarily long-term, fee-based agreements with customers and counterparties in five unconventional resource basins: (i) the Williston Basin, which includes the Bakken and Three Forks shale formations in North Dakota; (ii) the Denver-Julesburg Basin, which includes the Niobrara and Codell shale formations in Colorado and Wyoming; (iii) the Fort Worth Basin, which includes the Barnett Shale formation in Texas; (iv) the Arkoma Basin, which includes the Woodford and Caney shale formations in Oklahoma; and (v) the Piceance Basin, which includes the Mesaverde formation as well as the Mancos and Niobrara shale formations in Colorado. SMC has an equity method investment in Double E Pipeline, LLC, which provides interstate natural gas transportation service from multiple receipt points in the Delaware Basin to various delivery points in and around the Waha Hub in Texas. SMC is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain statements concerning expectations for the future that are forward-looking within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may project, indicate or imply future results, events, performance or achievements and may contain the words "expect," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions, or future conditional verbs such as "may," "will," "should," "would" and "could," including, but not limited to, statements regarding the Issuer's plans to issue the Additional Notes, the expected timing of the closing of the Offering, the intended use of the net proceeds therefrom and other aspects of the Offering and the Additional Notes. In addition, any statement concerning future financial performance (including future revenues, earnings or growth rates), ongoing business strategies and possible actions taken by SMC or its subsidiaries are also forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements also contain known and unknown risks and uncertainties (many of which are difficult to predict and beyond management's control) that may cause SMC's actual results in future periods to differ materially from anticipated or projected results. An extensive list of specific material risks and uncertainties affecting SMC is contained in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2024, which the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on November 12, 2024, as amended and updated from time to time, including by the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 7, 2025. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and SMC undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or events.

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SOURCE Summit Midstream Corporation

FAQ

What is the total value and structure of SMC's Moonrise Midstream acquisition?

Summit Midstream acquired Moonrise for $90 million total, consisting of $70 million in cash and $20 million in SMC equity (approximately 0.5 million shares).

What assets did SMC acquire in the Moonrise Midstream transaction?

SMC acquired 80 miles of gas gathering pipeline, 25 miles of crude oil pipeline, 65 MMcf/d processing plant, and 22,300 horsepower of compression in Weld County, Colorado.

What is the EBITDA multiple for SMC's Moonrise acquisition?

The acquisition represents a 5.0x multiple of 2024 Adjusted EBITDA, with the cash portion representing ~3.9x 2024 Adjusted EBITDA.

How much dedicated acreage does the Moonrise system cover for SMC?

The Moonrise system covers approximately 60,000 leased acres from customers including Fundare Resources, Verdad, Bison IV, and a large integrated energy company.

What are the contract terms for SMC's Moonrise Midstream assets?

50% of dedicated volumes are under life-of-lease agreements, while the remaining 50% have a weighted average remaining term of over 13 years.