Appearing live on Bloomberg Deals, Vinson & Elkins Partner Lande Spottswood discussed how the war in Iran has impacted energy dealmaking and her future outlook for M&A.
While the war has certainly created pricing volatility, which has stalled cash deals in the near term, she said, energy dealmakers “have had a lot of practice with volatility lately. Talks are continuing, and I think activity will continue.”
She noted that there is a broader, macroeconomic logic pointing towards consolidation. “Energy companies are in the business of selling their assets every day, so they have to constantly be thinking about the next place to grow or [they risk] getting smaller. So, [energy producers] are ready to do more deals if they can find the right one.”
Ultimately, she added, if the war causes oil prices to reset at a higher level, that will be “gangbusters” for energy M&A. “That would make energy companies healthier. It would make them more willing to invest [with] stronger balance sheets and [with] buyers more aggressive.”
A favorable regulatory environment should also continue to facilitate energy M&A. The U.S. regulatory environment is “much more friendly towards development generally, [particularly] the building of large scale infrastructure,” she said. “I’m seeing clients deploy capital towards building big projects: big pipeline projects and data centers.”
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