Energy secretary will tout Appalachia’s potential in visit

The U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette will visit Columbus on Tuesday to discuss the Department of Energy’s commitment to American manufacturers and energy industries in Ohio.

Brouillette will participate in the Ohio Business Roundtable and will highlight the department’s support for advancing STEM education and training as well as the Appalachian region’s economic potential, DOE spokesperson Jessica Szymanski said in a statement.

Farming store to join Burlington Plaza in fall

A Tractor Supply Company store will open at the Burlington Plaza on the Northwest Side of Columbus in the fall of 2020, a news release said Monday.

Shopone Center REIT Inc., which owns the plaza, announced it has signed a lease with Tractor Supply Company, which will occupy more than 31,000 square feet, including a nearly 20,000 square foot display area.

The store caters to ranchers, recreational farmers “and all those who enjoy living the rural lifestyle,” the release said.

Chevron announces $5 billion acquisition of Noble Energy

Chevron will take over Noble Energy for $5 billion in the first big deal announced since the coronavirus pandemic shook the energy sector.

Chevron has been shopping for assets since last year and with crude prices down more than 30% this year, it jumped Monday with its all-stock offering for the independent Houston oil and gas driller.

Based on Chevron’s closing price on Friday, Noble Energy shareholders will receive 0.1191 shares of Chevron for each Noble Energy share. But with the list price comes a lot of debt. Energy companies had been taking on enormous debt even before the pandemic with energy prices have bouncing all over the place.

IPO by payments company may gauge investors’ moods

Ant Group, the online payments arm of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, announced plans Monday for an initial public stock offering that could become the world’s biggest since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Ant, valued at $150 billion after a 2018 private fundraising round, gave no indication how much money it hopes to raise in the joint offering in Hong Kong and Shanghai. But the offering would test investor willingness to look beyond the pandemic and worsening global economy.

A public offering in Hong Kong would also give foreign investors a chance to own a piece of the biggest player in the huge Chinese online payments industry.

From staff and wire reports