Oil & Gas Valuation and Appraisal

Valuation Precision for the Upstream, Midstream, and Downstream Sectors

In the dynamic oil and gas industry—where market conditions, regulatory requirements, and technology evolve at a rapid pace—accurate and defensible asset valuation is essential. EPS brings decades of technical expertise, financial acumen, and litigation support experience to help you confidently navigate complex appraisal challenges.

Industry Challenges and EPS Solutions

The oil and gas sector presents diverse and intricate valuation issues, including:

Upstream Assets

Exploration, drilling rigs, wellheads, completions, and production equipment demand valuations that account for resource variability, reservoir performance, and regulatory obligations.

Downstream Facilities

Refineries, petrochemical plants, and distribution assets call for meticulous appraisals of process units, feedstocks, and byproduct streams—factors that significantly impact margins and project economics.

Midstream Infrastructure

Pipelines, storage caverns, terminals, and transportation networks require a detailed understanding of operating capacity, economic obsolescence, tariff structures, and external market influences. Moreover, a significant portion of these assets are regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), whose oversight shapes market dynamics and imposes stringent operational standards. EPS leverages its deep expertise to evaluate the impact of FERC regulations and address economic obsolescence, ensuring accurate and defensible asset valuations.

Price Volatility and Market Cycles

Fluctuating crude oil and natural gas prices can challenge revenue forecasts and equipment demand. EPS uses robust economic analyses to demonstrate the correlation between commodity prices and the viability of oil field services or asset utilization.

Ad Valorem and Tax Assessments

Natural gas pipeline and storage facilities often face complexities in local tax assessments, where economic obsolescence, depreciation, and intangible components must be scrutinized to ensure fair and accurate valuations.

Our Services

  • Determining fair market value, intangible asset worth, and economic obsolescence for upstream, midstream, and downstream operations.

  • Providing guidance for local and state tax appeals, including analysis of pipeline, storage, and processing asset valuations to ensure appropriate assessment methods.

  • Offering in-depth technical, economic, and forensic analysis for disputes involving royalties, technology licensing, operational negligence, asset failures, and environmental liabilities.

  • Assisting with mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures by evaluating tangible and intangible oil & gas assets and identifying risks and opportunities.

  • Delivering multidisciplinary expertise—such as root cause analysis of equipment failures, pipeline integrity audits, and forensic evaluations of E&P or refining processes—to strengthen legal and financial positions.

Why Choose EPS?

Technical Excellence
EPS's team of professional engineers, accredited appraisers, certified investigators, and environmental specialists has deep domain insight in production, processing, and pipeline facilities.

Accredited and Certified Professionals
Our engineers and appraisers are licensed in multiple states, hold the Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) credential, and adhere to Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).

Proven Forensic Methodologies
Our rigorous approach seamlessly integrates engineering, finance, and regulatory compliance, producing clear, defensible analyses for both corporate decision-making and litigation.

Holistic Economic Evaluation
We account for market cycles, commodity forecasts, and operational constraints to deliver appraisals that accurately reflect present value and future risk.

Credible Courtroom Presence
With decades of expert witness testimony experience, we excel at explaining complex technical and financial matters to arbitrators, judges, and juries.

  • Economic Implications in Oil Field Services Industry Dispute

    Challenge: An oil field services company in the Niobrara-DJ Basin faced significant financial challenges from its business partners during a rapid downturn in crude oil prices, with allegations of management failing to anticipate and mitigate the market impact.

    Solution: Leveraging expertise in economic analysis, EPS demonstrated the strong correlation between crude oil prices and demand for oil field services, exposing critical flaws in the actions of the business partners.

    Result: EPS provided pivotal evidence about the energy industry's market dynamics, demonstrating the predictability of the downturn, which substantively informed the court proceedings and clarified the parties' financial responsibilities. This analysis enabled the client to recover the monies owed successfully.

  • Natural Gas Midstream Storage and Pipeline Tax Dispute

    Challenge: A dispute arose over ad valorem property tax assessments for natural gas storage facilities across multiple counties in Mississippi. The complexity of appraising salt cavern storage assets and opposing interpretations of economic obsolescence in natural gas storage midstream assets were litigated.

    Solution: EPS astutely appraised the natural gas midstream market and property valuations for domestic storage, pipeline transmission, domestic demand, and export markets.

    Result: EPS's impartial appraisal defined the accuracy of the County Assessors’ valuations, clarifying tax liabilities and compliance with jurisdictional requirements. EPS’s midstream asset appraisals established equitable assessment practices and informed future appraisal standards​.

  • First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) IsoAlky Retrofit Project Appraisal Challenge

    Challenge: A global energy firm faced significant discrepancies in the valuation of their first-of-a-kind (FOAK) IsoAlky Retrofit Project by a taxing authority, which did not account for costs associated with the pioneering energy technology.

    Solution: EPS conducted a detailed technical assessment and financial appraisal of the first-of-a-kind technology, distinguishing typical from atypical expenses in the $560 million construction, and applied fair market value principles to establish the correct valuation.

    Result: EPS’s analysis demonstrated the proper taxable value of the construction work in progress (CWIP), substantially reducing the client's ad valorem assessment by correcting the inflated valuation initially set by the taxing authority.

About Dr. John A. Williams

A Recognized Authority in Energy Asset Valuations

Dr. John A. Williams, PE, ASA, MBA, CFEI, AIChE Fellow, is the founder and General Manager of EPS. With over 40 years of experience spanning oil & gas operations, energy technology, and large-scale construction, Dr. Williams is a sought-after authority in fair market value appraisals, forensic investigations, and financial analyses for the oil & gas sector.

Dr. Williams's deep industry knowledge and ability to synthesize engineering data with financial modeling ensures a robust, methodical approach to oil & gas asset valuation.

    • Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) by the American Society of Appraisers in Machinery & Technical Specialties: Energy, Environmental, and Manufacturing Technologies.

    • Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI) by the National Association of Fire Investigators.

    • Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE Fellow).

    • PhD in Chemical and Fuels Engineering from the University of Utah

    • MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago

    • BS in Chemistry from the University of Delaware

    • Licensed Professional Engineer in over 20 states