Oil Tycoon Harold Hamm Is Selling $3 Billion In Shale Assets

On Wednesday, pipeline operator Kinder Morgan announced a deal to acquire $3 billion worth of Bakken shale assets from Harold Hamm's Hiland Partners.

Kinder Morgan said it expects to retain "nearly all" of Hiland's 430 employees.

Hamm has been in the news recently as terms of his public, and expensive, divorce have surfaced, including a situation earlier this month in which Hamm wrote out a $975 million check to his ex-wife Sue Ann Arnall, who initially rejected the check.

Later, reports said that Arnall did cash the check, though Arnall vowed to press on with her appeal of the case.

Arnall has been seeking a larger portion of Hamm's estate, which was worth upwards of $18 billion earlier this year, though Hamm has seen his fortune decline by more than half as the value of Continental Resources, the oil and gas company in which he has a 68% stake, has plummeted along with the price of oil.

The announcement of the deal said that Kinder Morgan will acquire Hiland from Hamm, who founded the company, and "certain Hamm family trusts."

On Wednesday, Kinder Morgan also announced fourth quarter earnings, announcing an increase in its dividend, though the company said it, "experienced some headwinds in the fourth quarter due primarily to commodity pricing."

Here's the full acquisition statement from Kinder Morgan and Hiland:

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) today announced a definitive agreement whereby KMI will acquire Hiland Partners (Hiland) from its founder, Harold Hamm, and certain Hamm family trusts, for a total purchase price of approximately $3 billion, including the assumption of debt. Hiland's assets, which are mostly fee based, consist of crude oil gathering and transportation pipelines and gas gathering and processing systems, primarily serving production from the Bakken Formation in North Dakota and Montana. The transaction creates a premier midstream platform for KMI in the Bakken with a significant amount of acreage dedicated under long-term gathering agreements. These acreage dedications are with some of the Bakken's largest and most successful producers, covering some of the most attractive and economically viable areas in the basin. Hiland's customers include Continental Resources, Inc. (Continental), Oasis Petroleum Inc., XTO Energy Inc., Whiting Petroleum Corporation and Hess Corporation, among others.

Hiland's crude oil gathering systems, located in North Dakota and Montana, consist of approximately 1,225 miles of gathering pipelines that deliver crude oil to the basin's major takeaway pipelines and rail terminals. At closing, the crude oil gathering systems will have more than 1.8 million acres dedicated under long-term, fee-based agreements with major Bakken oil producers. At closing, Hiland's largest oil gathering dedication will be with Continental, which has dedicated the majority of its Bakken acreage to Hiland's gathering systems under a long-term agreement, including substantial acreage in McKenzie, Mountrail and Williams counties in North Dakota.

Hiland's crude oil transportation pipeline, the Double H Pipeline, is a 485-mile pipeline that will transport crude oil from Hiland's Dore Terminal in North Dakota to Guernsey, Wyoming, where Double H interconnects with Pony Express Pipeline for further transportation to Cushing, Oklahoma. Double H Pipeline is in the final stages of construction and is expected to begin service by the end of the month. Double H Pipeline will have an initial capacity of approximately 84,000 barrels per day, with an expansion to approximately 108,000 barrels per day in 2016. The pipeline has firm take-or-pay contracts for approximately 60,000 barrels per day and is currently conducting an open season for additional commitments.

Hiland's gas gathering and processing systems in North Dakota and Montana consist of approximately 1,800 miles of gathering pipelines and, upon completion of a plant expansion in 2015, 240 million cubic feet per day of gas processing capacity and 30,000 barrels per day of fractionation capacity. These systems process associated gas from oil production and have approximately 3.7 million acres dedicated under long-term agreements with major Bakken oil producers. Additionally, Hiland's Midcontinent systems gather and process gas in the Woodford shale and other areas of Oklahoma.

"We are delighted to establish a substantial midstream footprint in one of the most prolific oil producing basins in the United States," said KMI Chairman and CEO Richard D. Kinder. "Hiland's systems serve some of the Bakken's largest and most successful producers, including Continental. We look forward to continuing to provide high quality midstream services to these producers and pursuing incremental growth opportunities in the basin."

Based on its long-term forecast for Hiland, KMI expects that the multiple of EBITDA paid for Hiland, including future growth capital investments, will decline to approximately 10 times by 2018. The acquisition is expected to be modestly accretive to KMI's cash available to pay dividends in 2015 and 2016 and approximately six to seven cents accretive beginning in 2017.

"Kinder Morgan's projections for Hiland are reflective of the current commodity price environment. While Hiland's gathering systems serve some of the Bakken's and North America's most economic acreage, the projections incorporate announced reductions in drilling activity by Hiland's customers," explained Kinder. "Although Hiland's cash flow is largely fee-based, our projections are based on commodity prices consistent with the current forward curve for the portion that is sensitive to commodity prices."

Kinder Morgan anticipates retaining nearly all of Hiland's approximately 430 employees and maintaining KMI's already significant presence in Oklahoma.

"Through the hard work of its employees, Hiland has become a premier midstream company. This transaction is about expanding our midstream footprint and Hiland's employees will be a critical part of that growth," said Kinder. "We expect this transaction will provide opportunities for Hiland's many talented employees."

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval. Kinder Morgan expects to close the transaction in the first quarter of 2015.

Bracewell & Guiliani acted as legal counsel to KMI. UBS Securities LLC has provided a $2.025 billion bridge financing facility to KMI.