Williams Sells 49% of Five Ohio Gas-Fired Power Plants for $5.34B
Pipeline giant Williams announced a $5.34 billion investment led by Blackstone Credit & Insurance, in partnership with Apollo and KKR, to fund its five behind-the-meter Power Innovation projects: Socrates, Apollo, Aquila, Socrates the Younger, and Neo. All five projects are located in Ohio and will use Utica (or Marcellus) shale gas. In exchange for the money, the investors receive a 49% noncontrolling ownership stake, while Williams retains 51% ownership and operational control, plus a buyout right between years 7 and 14. While the headline numbers focus on high-finance metrics, the practical, on-the-ground effect of this deal directly reshapes the Appalachian natural gas landscape, pipeline dynamics, and the regional race to power the AI-driven data center boom. Read More “Williams Sells 49% of Five Ohio Gas-Fired Power Plants for $5.34B”
Energy Transfer has asked the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to restructure and dissolve the Sunoco Pipeline Company, separating its pipeline assets between two new entities. Energy Transfer NE NGL Pipelines LLC would own and operate the Mariner East system and other natural gas liquids pipelines, while Energy Transfer RP Pipelines LLC would control refined petroleum product pipelines. The proposal also would transfer Sunoco’s public utility operating certificates. Formal protests and intervention petitions are due July 27, 2026. 
Last week was (once again) noteworthy for the Baker Hughes rig count. Although the Marcellus/Utica count didn’t budge, the national count increased by 1 rig. The national count has risen over the last four weeks — by 19 rigs. The new national count of 581 is the highest the combined count has been since May 2025 (well over a year). The combined M-U rig count remained at 36 active rigs for the ninth consecutive week. The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, maintained its count of 55 active rigs, operating 19 more than the M-U. 
Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage (EGTS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company (Warren Buffett’s company), filed a new project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in July 2025 (see 
Over the years, we have chronicled the far-left Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) lawfare against fracking, gas-fired power plants, and pipelines (
The Trump administration and its officials continue to aggressively push the Williams 125-mile Constitution Pipeline project, which would stretch from the prolific shale gas fields of Susquehanna County, PA, into and through New York State, to Schoharie County, NY, to move Marcellus gas into New York State and New England. In June, Trump EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited Binghamton to advocate for reviving the long-stalled project (see 
EQT Corporation, the largest driller in the Marcellus/Utica (based on M-U production), recently achieved two records with the same Marcellus well. EQT drilled not only the “deepest” shale well in the continental U.S. (by “measured depth”), but also the longest horizontal shale well (by lateral length). EQT’s Longwell 9H well, located in Wetzel County, West Virginia (near the Pennsylvania border), eclipses a record set by Expand Energy in 2025 in Marshall County, WV. 
Williams’ Transco Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SESE) is a 55-mile, 42-inch-wide pipeline that will run through Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and Rockingham, Guilford, Forsyth, and Davidson counties in North Carolina. Construction for SESE started March 2, 2026, according to FERC filings. Transco (Williams) received its final federal authorization and a Notice to Proceed, and crews mobilized in early spring. Initial activities have included tree felling, installation of acoustic barriers, and test drilling in preparation for blasting. Antis finally gave up trying to block construction of SESE in June (see 
Yesterday, pipeline giant Williams announced the appointment of Lloyd W. “Billy” Helms Jr. and Robb E. Turner as its newest board members, expanding its board from 10 to 12 members. Helms brings more than 40 years of oil and gas experience, including senior leadership roles at Utica driller EOG Resources, where he served as president and chief operating officer. Turner brings 35-plus years of experience in energy operations, finance, and investing, including co-founding ArcLight Capital Partners and serving as chair of The Madava Group and Revenant Energy. The question is, how do these two additions connect to and impact Williams’ Marcellus/Utica operations? 
In February, MDN alerted you to yet another gas-fired power plant project that Williams (the pipeline giant) was adding to its roster. Williams entered the gas-fired power plant space (actually building and operating them) in April 2025 via a subsidiary called Will-Power (see 
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) isn’t letting any grass grow under its feet regarding the advancement of the Constitution Pipeline, a 125-mile greenfield pipeline from the Marcellus gas fields of Susquehanna County, PA, to Schoharie County, NY, to deliver Marcellus gas into New York State and New England. FERC is actively reviewing two requests related to reviving the project (see 
Last September, MDN told you that two major Kinder Morgan pipeline projects that will flow Marcellus/Utica molecules in the southeastern U.S. took a big step forward at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with FERC actively working on an environmental impact statement (EIS) for both projects (see 
It never ends well for landowners who believe they can block pipeline surveyors from accessing their land. In April 2025, MDN told you about a new greenfield expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Elba Express pipeline into South Carolina to serve growing demand for natural gas in the state (see