Key transactions & industry newsWeekly Update 09/18/2026

What We Found Interesting This Week

ExxonMobil Executive Sees U.S. Accounting for 30% of Global LNG Market by 2030


The U.S. is becoming an increasingly important supplier to the global LNG market, turning abundant domestic natural gas into both an export advantage and a source of geopolitical leverage. U.S. LNG is already reaching dozens of countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with Europe and Asia accounting for the majority of volumes and highlighting the role U.S. supply now plays in supporting allied energy security. Continued export growth creates a structural source of demand for domestic natural gas production and increases the value of the pipelines, processing assets, storage, and Gulf Coast infrastructure needed to connect low-cost supply to international markets. At the same time, LNG exports are competing with rising domestic gas-fired power demand from data centers and industrial development, creating a stronger linkage between U.S. gas, power, and global energy markets. Natural gas is becoming more strategically important across both domestic and international demand channels, with reliable U.S. supply increasingly valuable as buyers seek diversification away from geopolitically exposed producers and shipping routes. This should continue to support investment across the broader gas value chain, particularly infrastructure that can move growing production to power markets and LNG export facilities.

Recent M&A Transactions

Metals & Mining

Sep 17, 2026 – KPS Capital Partners, LP announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its portfolio company Metra to Grupa Kęty S.A., a Warsaw-listed Polish industrial group operating in the global aluminum extrusion, architectural and sun protection systems, and flexible packaging industries, for $740M. (KPSCapitalPartners)

Sep 17 , 2026 – The Elmet Group Co. (NASDAQ:ELMT) announced a $450M committed Department of War investment and closed the initial $200M financing. The remaining $250M is available through subsequent tranches beginning six months after closing, subject to specified conditions and drawdown deadlines. (YahooFinance)

Transportation & Logistics

Sep 18, 2026 – DHL Supply Chain has agreed to the acquisition of logistics and transport operator Open Market, adding significant warehousing, transport and temperature-controlled capabilities to its network in Colombia. The deal will bring 21 warehouses covering a combined 120,000m², 13 cross-docking platforms and an owned transport fleet into DHL’s Colombian operation. Around 4,100 Open Market employees will also join DHL Supply Chain. (LogisticsBusiness)

Sep 17, 2026 – EQT Real Estate is pleased to announce that EQT Real Estate Industrial Value Fund VI has acquired a 5.2 million square foot logistics portfolio across Southern California from Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. The portfolio comprises 32 buildings across five submarkets. (PRNewswire)

Sep 15, 2026 – Signature Aviation, the world’s largest network of private aviation terminals, has completed the acquisition of Castle & Cooke Aviation Services LLC at Van Nuys Airport, expanding its operations in Southern California. (SignatureAviation)

Building Products & Materials

Sep 16, 2026 – Brookfield Asset Management has agreed to acquire Reliance Worldwide in an all-cash deal that values the plumbing-supplies manufacturer at $2.9B. Australia-listed Reliance, which operates domestically and in countries such as the U.S., Canada and Mexico, said Brookfield firmed its $3.38-a-share proposal after four weeks of exclusive due diligence. (WSJ)

Sep 16, 2026 – HCP Infrastructure, Inc., Lime Rock New Energy’s low-carbon precast concrete manufacturing platform, announced that it has acquired 100% of Holton Concrete Products, LLC from founders Thomas and Barbara Holton. (GlobeNewswire)

Energy

Sep 17, 2026 – UK-listed Capricorn Energy agreed to revised terms ​of a $396M takeover offer from Norwegian ‌oil firm DNO. (Reuters)

Sep 16, 2026 – Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. (Nasdaq:PAA) and Plains GP Holdings (Nasdaq: PAGP) announced that a wholly owned subsidiary has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SCM PR II, LLC from subsidiaries of Tailwater Capital and The Energy and Minerals Group for an aggregate cash consideration of approximately $585MM. (Plains)

Sep 14, 2026 – Avenrock Energy Inc., a newly formed Canadian energy company backed by global investment firm Carlyle (NASDAQ:CG), announced that it has agreed to acquire Parallax Energy Operating Inc. from Carnelian Energy Capital, establishing a significant new light oil platform in Western Canada. (Carlyle)

Others

Sep 17, 2026 – Mark Walter and Todd Boehly have agreed to sell their combined 25% stake in English soccer team Chelsea in a deal that will hand the two billionaires around $650M each.(WSJ)

Sep 14, 2026 – Dell Chief Executive Michael Dell’s DFO Management, along with Sequence Holdings, is taking insurance brokerage Baldwin Group private in a cash deal with an enterprise value of $7.7B. (WSJ)

Top News Stories

Metals & Mining

Canadian aluminum exports face a fresh blow as U.S. tariffs climb to 100%. Canadian aluminum fabricators are warning that their U.S. sales could disappear after the latest U.S. tariff measures pushed duties on some aluminum products to as high as 100%, making Canadian-made goods less competitive in the U.S. market.

EU Parliament backs wider CBAM scope for steel and aluminum products. The European Parliament has backed plans to expand the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to a wider range of steel and aluminum products, including screws, wires, springs and household utensils.

Kibar Americas restarts former Novelis aluminum plant in Fairmont, targets hundreds of jobs. Kibar Americas has begun production at the former Novelis aluminum plant in Fairmont, marking the facility’s return to operation more than a year after its sudden closure resulted in the loss of more than 180 jobs.

$58M expansion strengthens Tampa Brass & Aluminum’s defense manufacturing. Tampa Brass & Aluminum is putting $58M into its Hillsborough County facility following a series of new military contracts. The investment in machinery and equipment will also bring 50 new jobs to the area.

Inola aluminum smelter timeline stretches to April 2027 after new moratorium, U.S. capacity push continues. The proposed $4B aluminum smelter in Inola, Oklahoma, has entered another review phase as the U.S. continues efforts to strengthen domestic aluminum production.

$11.5B Adani-IRH aluminum project set to strengthen Odisha’s aluminum value chain. Odisha has handed over more than 7,000 acres of land for the Adani Group-International Resources Holding (IRH) joint venture’s proposed $11.5B integrated aluminum complex.

Transportation & Logistics

Almost 1 million TEUs in new record for this U.S. container gateway. The Port of Long Beach handled its busiest August on record, moving nearly 920,000 container units as shippers continued to adjust supply-chain strategies amid tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty.

BNSF, CPKC, and CSX to request broad access to a combined UP-NS network. BNSF Railway, CPKC, and CSX plan to seek broad trackage rights over a combined Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern system, if federal regulators approve the transcontinental merger.

Energy

Texas power plant, nuclear projects under discussion in South Korea’s U.S. investment package. South Korea and the United States are finalising the implementation of Seoul’s pledged $350B investment package under a trade deal struck last year that lowered U.S. tariffs on South Korean goods to 15%.

Spain ups planned power grid investment to over $19.6B through 2030. The Spanish government has decided to increase investment in the electricity transmission network to more ​than $19.6B through 2030, around 30% more ‌than initially planned, Energy Minister Sara Aagesen said, citing rising demand for electrification.

ExxonMobil executive sees U.S. accounting for 30% of global LNG market by 2030. U.S. liquefied natural gas supply ​will grow and ‌make up about 30% of the global total ​by 2030, an ​ExxonMobil executive said.

U.S. court blocks Trump administration bid to keep Michigan coal plant open. A federal appeals court threw out an order from President Donald Trump’s administration that had forced ‌a Michigan coal plant to remain open beyond its planned retirement.

Others

Fed delivers first rate hike in years with unanimous vote. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in three years, a sharp reversal that began taking back cuts it made last year and implicitly undercut the White House’s insistence that inflation isn’t a concern.

Databricks piles investments into Asia as growth accelerates.  Analytics and artificial-intelligence software firm Databricks says its business in Asia is accelerating and plans to invest more in Singapore to tap regional demand.

Apple finally built a smarter Siri. It still hasn’t caught up in the AI race. The highlight of Apple’s new smartphone software, is a redesigned Siri that works like ChatGPT, Claude and other chatbots. It can have a conversation, draft an email, search through texts and photos, and respond to complex search queries.

About RJM

RJM & Company is a specialized M&A and capital markets advisory investment bank. We provide boards and management teams of public and private companies with independent advice and expertise in a variety of sectors including road, rail and marine transportation, infrastructure, chemicals, energy, metals and mining, manufacturing, building materials, and other coverage areas of the industrial complex. RJM advises clients on all aspects of transactions including timing, structure, and pricing. RJM originates opportunities and helps negotiate and execute transactions already under evaluation.

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