Foreign Funding Ushers In a New Era of Profit Opportunities for U.S. Gas Companies

U.S. natural gas companies have found a convenient new way to boost their profits - by drawing in overseas companies to help fund their development projects. The maneuver was illustrated yesterday (Tuesday), when two large foreign companies bought big stakes in major U.S. shale projects. French oil major Total S.A. (NYSE ADR: TOT) said it would invest $2.3 billion in Chesapeake Energy Corp.'s (NYSE: CHK) Utica Shale operation in eastern Ohio. Within hours, China Petroleum &

U.S. gas companies