--- title: "Private Equity's Return to Oil, Gas and Coal Already Tops All of 2025, Driven by One $9.7B Deal" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/296383691.md" description: "Private equity investment in oil, gas, and coal has already surpassed the full-year total of 2025, driven largely by a $9.73 billion acquisition of DCC Energy by KKR and Energy Capital Partners. Total investments reached $14.7 billion through July, fueled by higher commodity prices, energy supply concerns, and AI-driven power demand. Europe accounted for 68% of deal value as it seeks to reduce reliance on Russian gas." datetime: "2026-08-19T17:04:02.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/296383691.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296383691.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/296383691.md) generator: "portal-rs" --- # Private Equity's Return to Oil, Gas and Coal Already Tops All of 2025, Driven by One $9.7B Deal Private equity investment in oil, gas and coal has already surpassed the total amount invested during all of 2025, helped by a nearly $10 billion acquisition by **KKR & Co.** (NYSE:KKR) and **Energy Capital Partners** as investors return to traditional energy assets. Global private equity and venture capital firms invested $14.7 billion in the oil, gas and coal sectors through the end of July, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. That compares with $8.24 billion for the full year in 2025. The surge was largely driven by KKR and Energy Capital Partners’ $9.73 billion acquisition of DCC Energy, the largest private equity deal in the sector during the first seven months of the year. **Read Also: HarbourVest Buys $1 Billion of UC Investments’ Private Equity Stakes** Other large deals included **Ridgewood Energy Corp.** and **Talos Energy LLC’s** $1.72 billion acquisition of a 50% non-operated working interest in the Na Kika platform and 100% operatorship of the Coulomb field. **South Wind Exploration & Production LLC** also drew a $1 billion investment from **Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP** and **Quantum Advisors LLC.** The dealmaking comes as investors respond to higher commodity prices, concerns about energy supplies and rising electricity consumption tied to data centers and artificial intelligence. Europe accounted for $10.1 billion, or 68.4% of the total deal value, making it the largest market during the period. The U.S. and Canada followed with $4.65 billion, while no investments were announced in the sector in Asia-Pacific. European activity has been supported by efforts to reduce the region’s reliance on Russian natural gas. The European Union plans to eliminate Russian gas imports by November 2027, increasing the focus on alternative sources and infrastructure, the analysis stated. Oil and gas refining and marketing attracted $9.87 billion of investment through July, followed by storage and transportation with $1.89 billion. Infrastructure has also drawn significant interest. **Sixth Street Partners** invested $600 million for a 27% stake in **Pinnacle Gas Services,** while **HPS Investment Partners** committed $500 million to **Texas LNG Brownsville.** **I Squared Capital Advisors** invested $650 million in natural gas storage assets. While the KKR and Energy Capital Partners deal accounted for much of the overall increase, investments remained higher even without it. Excluding the acquisition, transaction value would have reached almost $5 billion through July, compared with $2.3 billion during the same period last year. The list of major deals also shows investors looking beyond traditional oil and gas production. **Standard Nuclear Inc.** attracted $140 million from a group including **Andreessen Horowitz, TXV Ventures** and **Washington Harbour Partners,** while **Actera Group** invested $125 million in **Kinetics LNG Holdings.** The increase in power demand from AI and data centers is giving energy companies another potential source of growth. Developers are racing to secure enough electricity for large computing facilities, creating opportunities across natural gas, LNG, storage and other energy infrastructure. The breadth of the deals suggests private capital is returning to a wider range of energy assets. With investment already well above last year’s total, traditional energy is emerging as a much larger target for private equity and venture capital in 2026. *Photo: FOTOGRIN on Shutterstock.com* **Read Also: Anthropic's Pre-IPO Credit Line Is Growing — and Banks Are Angling for Underwriting Roles** ### Related Stocks - [PEX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/PEX.US.md) - [PSP.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/PSP.US.md) - [DCC.UK](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DCC.UK.md) - [KKR-D.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/KKR-D.US.md) - [KKR.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/KKR.US.md) - [BNO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BNO.US.md) - [FCG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/FCG.US.md) - [SCO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SCO.US.md) - [EMLP.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/EMLP.US.md) - [LNGZ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/LNGZ.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [REG - DCC Energy PLC ECP VI, LLC Kohlberg Kravis R. - Announcement Relating to Rule 15 Proposals](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296811086.md) - [REG - Societe Generale SA DCC Energy PLC - Form 8.3 - DCC Energy plc](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296758437.md) - [Here's How Much $1000 Invested In KKR 10 Years Ago Would Be Worth Today](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296804066.md) - [Indonesia's misses oil and gas output target in first 7 months](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297029458.md) - [KKR settles US antitrust case accusing it of merger filing violations for $250 million](https://longbridge.com/en/news/297108121.md) --- > **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**