By Kosaku Narioka
Mitsubishi Corp. has agreed to acquire Aethon's shale gas assets in Texas and Louisiana for $5.2 billion, its biggest acquisition ever.
The Japanese trading house said Friday that Aethon's natural gas is currently sold in the southern U.S. market and that the company is considering exporting part of the production as liquefied natural gas to Asia, including Japan, and Europe.
The deal comes as President Trump has sought to shore up the U.S. manufacturing base and increase energy exports.
Mitsubishi said the investment would strengthen its natural gas business, and also accelerate efforts to build a value chain in the U.S. ranging from upstream gas development to power generation, data-center development, chemicals production and other related businesses.
The Japanese company said Aethon's shale gas assets produce about 2.1 billion cubic feet a day of natural gas, equivalent to about 15 million tons of LNG each year.
Mitsubishi said it would buy equity interests in Aethon from Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, RedBird Capital Partners and Aethon Energy Management.
Write to Kosaku Narioka at kosaku.narioka@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-15-26 2358ET
