Blackstone Energy Partners Press Release

We’ve heard this story before.  Substitute TPL and EOG for Waterfield and Anadarko.

Waterfield is led by Co-Chief Executive Officers Scott Mitchell and Mark Cahill, who previously built and led Anadarko’s and Western Gas’s Permian Basin commercial water infrastructure platform.  Since partnering with Blackstone last summer, Waterfield has put together a highly skilled team that brings together upstream and midstream technical expertise with a deep understanding of the subsurface and operating characteristics of the Permian Basin.  This expertise positions Waterfield to provide reliable, turn-key services for its customers.

Waterfield’s progress should be of interest to TPL follows as there are parallels between the two entities.  Waterfield appears to be well capitalized and has a strong management team; looks like prime competition.

MRT: Blackstone bets $500 million on growing full-cycle water management trend

“It used to be (water management) was trucking water to saltwater disposal wells. Then the next generation was to pipe water to SWDs to get trucks off the road and enjoy the economic benefits of pipelines,” said Cahill, an engineer who got his start at Chevron. “I think we’re entering the next phase, where you’ll see subsurface expertise. It’s not just pipes and facilities but knowing where you’re putting the water and how you’re putting the water,”

“The eye-opener for us was when we were talking to other producers and we were talking about our focus on the subsurface, and no one else was looking at the subsurface,” Mitchell said. “That gave them comfort things would be done right. It dawned on us that this is how it will be done.”

He said producers have been reluctant to grant water management to other companies “because it’s so critical and it has to be done right. They know the subsurface, so they’re reluctant to hand it off to someone without that expertise.”

Already, Waterfield has a 15-year contract with Guidon Energy to construct a new system to handle Guidon’s water gathering and disposal needs across its 40,000-acre position in Martin County. That system, which will target deeper disposal zones, is expected to come online by mid-year. Waterfield also has an agreement with EagleClaw Midstream to operate EagleClaw’s Reeves County water assets — 58 miles of gathering lines and 390,000 barrels per day of permitted water disposal capacity.

Those contracts have met the company’s goal of “planting our flag, getting a platform in the Midland Basin and the Delaware Basin,” said Cahill.

15 year contracts are music to my ears.