Berkshire Hathaway unit buys another chemical firm

OMAHA, Neb. — Warren Buffett’s specialty chemical subsidiary Lubrizol will spend at least $750 million to acquire businesses that make oilfield chemicals and drilling fluids.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s Lubrizol says it expects to acquire two businesses from Weatherford International by the end of 2014. Lubrizol will pay at least $750 million, but the price could grow to $825 million if the acquired businesses perform well.

Lubrizol, which is based in Wickliffe, Ohio, says it will create a new business unit focused on oilfield solutions once it acquires Engineered Chemistry and Integrity Industries from Weatherford.

Engineered Chemistry operates 10 sites mostly in North America that supply additives and fluids for a variety of oilfield activities. Integrity Industries has 14 locations that supply drilling fluids to mining companies. Both are based in Texas.

Also, Berkshire Hathaway’s utility division announced Monday it completed its purchase of Canadian power transmission provider AltaLink for about $2.7 billion.

AltaLink will keep its name and continue to run as a separate company under Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Its headquarters will remain in Calgary.

Berkshire Hathaway Energy owns and operates transmission and distribution lines in the U.S. The Des Moines, Iowa, company also owns or contracts more than 28,000 megawatts of electricity generation.