Private Oil Firm Eyes $1B Permian Expansion

U.S. Energy Development Corp. prepares up to $1 billion for Permian deals in 2026 as private operators seize opportunities left by cautious public producers

9 Mar 2026

A privately held Texas oil and gas company is preparing another major push into the Permian Basin, signaling that private capital remains eager to expand in America’s most productive oilfield. U.S. Energy Development Corporation says it plans to deploy up to $1 billion in 2026, its third straight year targeting billion-dollar scale investment.

Most of that capital will flow into upstream opportunities across the Permian, the vast West Texas and New Mexico basin that anchors U.S. crude supply. The strategy follows a milestone year for the Fort Worth firm, which surpassed $1 billion in total deployment in 2025 and completed a $390 million acquisition of 20,000 net acres in the Delaware Basin, the largest deal in its 45 year history.

Chief executive Jordan Jayson frames the company’s strategy in simple terms. Stay disciplined, stay selective, and place capital where fundamentals hold up under pressure. The company reviews hundreds of potential deals each year, subjecting them to extensive stress testing before committing funds.

That discipline may prove useful in a volatile market. Capital markets president Matthew Iak says the 2026 plan is designed to perform across a range of price scenarios, a key consideration with West Texas Intermediate crude trading below $60 a barrel.

Market timing could also play to the company’s advantage. Several public operators are trimming Permian holdings as they emphasize shareholder returns, leaving a stream of potential acquisitions for well funded private buyers. ConocoPhillips, for example, is exploring the sale of roughly $2 billion in Delaware Basin assets as consolidation reshapes the region.

USEDC has been preparing for a faster pace of deals. The company appointed veteran dealmaker Howard House as chief strategic officer in September 2025 and opened a Houston office to place its leadership closer to the center of energy transactions.

The opportunity is hard to ignore. Permian production is projected to reach about 6.6 million barrels per day in 2026, and while growth is slowing, the basin’s geology and infrastructure still draw capital. Increasingly, the next chapter of the Permian story is being written not only by supermajors, but also by private firms ready to invest when others pull back.