Howard Energy Partners expands with Iron Horse acquisition

Howard Energy Partners (HEP) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Iron Horse Midstream from investment firm Sixth Street, expanding its natural gas gathering, processing and compression infrastructure in Oklahoma’s Anadarko Basin.

The acquisition includes approximately 400 miles of high- and low-pressure natural gas pipelines in Canadian, Caddo and Grady counties, multiple compressor stations and the 120-acre Iron Horse processing complex, which has a capacity of 425 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d).

The assets are supported by multidecade customer contracts covering approximately 167,000 dedicated acres.

The transaction represents another major investment in the Midcontinent region for HEP, which has committed approximately $2.5 billion to acquisitions in the region over the past two years, including the proposed Iron Horse purchase. Financial terms of the individual transaction were not disclosed.

HEP said the acquisition will strengthen its ability to connect Anadarko Basin natural gas production with growing demand in Oklahoma, Texas and Gulf Coast markets, including LNG export facilities, power generation, industrial operations and data centers.

“We see tremendous long-term opportunity in the Anadarko Basin,” said Herbie Goldstein, HEP’s chief financial officer and head of corporate development. “The acquisition of Iron Horse builds on our disciplined growth strategy, expanding our footprint in a highly productive area with multiple producing formations, while enhancing the integrated services we offer customers.”

Growing Midcontinent infrastructure network

The acquisition follows two transactions announced by HEP in June that expanded its Midcontinent operations.

Those included the purchase of the remaining ownership interest in the Midship Pipeline and the acquisition of Superior Midstream, a Tulsa-based natural gas gathering and processing company with operations in Oklahoma, Kansas, the Texas Panhandle and East Texas.

Following completion of the Iron Horse acquisition, HEP’s Oklahoma infrastructure footprint will include nearly 2,000 miles of pipelines with approximately 2 billion cubic feet per day of capacity, 580 MMcf/d of natural gas processing capacity and approximately 540,000 hp of compression equipment.

The expanded infrastructure network will increase HEP’s presence in the Anadarko Basin, a major natural gas-producing region with multiple producing formations and established gathering and processing systems.

The acquisition also strengthens the company’s position in the Midcontinent as producers and midstream operators seek additional infrastructure to move natural gas toward domestic demand centers and Gulf Coast export markets.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and applicable regulatory approvals.