Midstream steals the show again this week with news of a triple-whammy in the pipeline acquisitions department, and the secret negotiations playing out on a massive pipeline LNG project that’s been considered all but frozen to death.

Reese Energy Consulting today is following the latest from Houston-based Plains All American, which operates 20,000 miles of crude oil and NGL pipelines, 157 MMBls of storage capacity, trucks and trailers, and railcars from the Texas Gulf to Northern Alberta, Canada. Plains has kicked off the new year with three bolt-on acquisitions totaling $725 million to further boost its operations in the Eagle Ford and Permian. The deals include EnCap Flatrock Midstream’s crude oil gathering and transportation system and Ironwood Midstream Energy’s Eagle Ford natural gas gathering system, both in the Eagle Ford; Medallion Midstream’s Delaware crude oil gathering business, and the remaining 50% interest in Midway Pipeline, both via a Plains’ subsidiary.

State-owned Alaska Gasline Development Corp., tasked with heading up development of the long beleaguered 807-mile Trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline, has now teased it may finally have a project benefactor in its pocket. The pipeline, designed to flow 3.3 BCFD from the North Slope to the Southcentral LNG export terminal in Nikiski, has attracted the attention of an anonymous energy company that would lead and fund the $44 billion LNG whopper. A framework agreement is in place and formal announcements are expected in the next few months