BlackRock, GIC Consider Sale of UK Gas Pipeline Assets
BlackRock Inc. and Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte are exploring the sale of a network of gas pipeline assets in the UK that could fetch about $2 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
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(Bloomberg) — BlackRock Inc. and Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte are exploring the sale of a network of gas pipeline assets in the UK that could fetch about $2 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
The owners are working with investment bank Jefferies Financial Group Inc. to find potential buyers for Kellas Midstream, the people said, asking not to be identified as the matter is private. The company owns a network of pipes, including the the 404-kilometer (251-mile) undersea Central Area Transmission System that deliver gas from the North Sea into the UK.
The business is likely to draw interest from infrastructure funds and financial investors keen to gain exposure in the sector, the people said. A formal sale process was yet to kick off and deliberations are in the early stages, the people said. The owners could also decide to retain the asset if they cannot find suitable bidders, the people said.
Representatives for BlackRock, GIC and Jefferies declined to comment.
A BlackRock infrastructure fund and GIC agreed to buy Kellas from Antin Infrastructure Partners in 2019. Investors are keen to gain exposure to such assets lured by the stable and predictable returns they can provide. BlackRock and Morgan Stanley investment funds agreed in March to buy TC Energy Corp.’s Portland Natural Gas Transmission System in a deal valued at about $1.14 billion.
Aside from the CATS pipeline, Kellas owns the Esmond Transportation System pipeline network and the Humber Gathering System, a project to transport gas from the Tolmount Main field, according to its website.
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