• Deal includes $5.2 billion in equity, $2.33 billion in debt
• It marks Mitsubishi's biggest acquisition
• Mitsubishi aims to strengthen gas value chain

TOKYO, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Japanese trading house Mitsubishi Corp (8058.T) , opens new tab said on Friday it would take over the U.S. shale production and infrastructure assets of Aethon Energy Management for $7.53 billion to strengthen its gas value chain.

The deal - the biggest acquisition to date by Mitsubishi - would give the company a substantial natural gas operation adjacent to the U.S. Gulf Coast and the energy export facilities being developed there.

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The transaction includes $5.2 billion to acquire Aethon's equity interests and $2.33 billion of net interest-bearing debt.

"Building on our North American energy platform - including shale gas development in Canada, midstream marketing and logistics operations in Houston, liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports via LNG Canada and Cameron LNG - this acquisition further strengthens our integrated energy business," Mitsubishi said in a statement.

The deal is the latest example of a Japanese company investing in the U.S. energy sector after Tokyo positioned gas as its key transition fuel beyond 2050 and as Japan prepares for surging power demand from data centres driven by the artificial intelligence boom.

Mitsubishi is a major player in the global LNG sector across the full value chain, from upstream production to trading, marketing and logistics. It holds stakes in multiple LNG projects worldwide, including in projects in Malaysia, Oman, Australia, Russia, the U.S. and Canada, giving it equity LNG production of 15 million metric tons per year.

The upstream assets of Aethon primarily focus on the Haynesville shale formation in Louisiana and East Texas. The holdings have made it one of the largest privately held U.S. gas producers, with output of 2.1 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas, equivalent to 15 million tons per year of LNG.

Mitsubishi said it reached an agreement with Aethon and its existing stakeholders, including the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and RedBird Capital Partners, for a total equity investment of $5.2 billion. The deal is expected to close in the April to June quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.

The Japanese company plans to use cash, debt financing and other methods to pay for the deal, a company spokesperson said.

In October, JERA, Japan's top power generator, said it would buy U.S. natural gas production assets for $1.5 billion, and Japan Petroleum Exploration (1662.T) , opens new tab said in December it would acquire Verdad Resources Intermediate Holdings (VRIH), which owns U.S. tight oil and gas assets, for $1.3 billion in its largest-ever deal.

Shares in Mitsubishi extended their decline following the news, trading down 1.5% against a flat broader benchmark Nikkei 225 index (.N225) , opens new tab.

Reuters reported in June last year that Mitsubishi was in talks to acquire the assets of Aethon Energy Management.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/mitsubishi-take-over-texas-louisiana-shale-gas-assets-753-billion-2026-01-16/