The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that Shell PLC is acquiring ARC Resources in a $16.4-billion (U.S.) deal, boosting its holdings in a basin that supplies gas to LNG Canada as the U.K. company mulls an expansion of a liquefied natural gas export terminal it partially owns in Kitimat, B.C. The Globe's Emma Graney writes that the deal, announced Monday, will increase Shell's production by 370,000 barrels a day. ARC is the largest pure-play producer in the Montney basin, which straddles Alberta and northeast British Columbia. Its portfolio includes natural gas, condensate, natural gas liquids and crude oil. Those operations are in the same region as Shell's existing Groundbirch asset in B.C. -- which supplies gas to the LNG Canada liquefaction plant -- and its Gold Creek project in Alberta. The deal underscores the attractiveness of Canadian assets, particularly those in the LNG sector. Demand for the fuel is surging, in part owing to the push for natural-gas-fired electricity to power data centres that run artificial-intelligence models. Wael Sawan, Shell's chief executive officer, said in a statement the deal would establish Canada as a "heartland" for the company. ARC closed Monday at $31.22, up $5.45.