While it may have seemed like Aubrey McClendon's American Energy Partners LP only had eyes for the Utica Shale, his Oklahoma City-based company has turned around and entered two more shale plays.

American Energy announced June 9 it agreed to buy acreage in the Utica, Marcellus and Permian Basin in three transactions worth $4.25 billion.

American Energy – Permian Basin LLC will acquire 63,000 net acres in the Permian, primarily located in Reagan and Irion counties, Texas, from Enduring Resources LLC for $2.5 billion. This marks American Energy's entry into the Permian, and the company said it intends to increase its position there through additional acquisitions over time.

Denver-based Enduring is currently using four rigs to develop its acreage. The company is backed by EnCap Investments LP.

American Energy plans to increase operated drilling activity by six to eight rigs by year-end 2015. The company will drill up to some 2,500 gross wells and 1,750 net wells on its acreage during the next decade. At closing, the properties are expected to have net production of about 16,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d).

In the Appalachia Basin, McClendon's firm purchased Utica and Marcellus acreage from East Resources Inc., and an unnamed private company, in two separate transactions for a combined acquisition price of $1.75 billion.

American Energy – Marcellus LLC will buy 48,000 net acres in Doddridge, Harrison, Marion, Tyler and Wetzel counties, W.Va., with net production of about 135 million cubic feet equivalent per day (MMcfe/d). American Energy plans to drill about 410 gross wells and 355 net wells on its acreage in the years ahead. This is the company's entry into the play, and it expects to make additional acquisitions to grow a significant position in the area over time.

In its seventh major acquisition in the Utica, American Energy – Utica LLC will acquire 27,000 net acres in Monroe County, Ohio, with net production of and 40 MMcfe/d. At closing, the company's leasehold in the play is now at 280,000 net acres—the largest in the industry.

American Energy has invested more than $3.5 billion in the Utica to date and plans to drill about 2,600 gross wells and 1,600 net wells on its acreage in the years ahead.

In the past nine months, McClendon raised $10 billion of institutional capital, started five companies and acquired significant leasehold positions in several different shale plays. American Energy’s private-equity investor is Houston-based The Energy & Minerals Group (EMG), with additional equity provided by its management team and others, including First Reserve Corp.

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) and Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. were American Energy’s financial advisors . Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, Commercial Law Group PC and Porter Hedges LLP were legal advisers. Jefferies Group LLC advised the sellers, and Baker Botts LLP provided legal advice for the Utica and Marcellus deals while Latham & Watkins LLP advised Enduring.

McClendon co-founded Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) in May 1989 and built it into one of the top drilling companies until his resignation in April 2013.

During his leadership, Chesapeake discovered the Haynesville Shale, Utica Shale, Powder River Niobrara Shale, Tonkawa Sand and Mississippi Lime unconventional plays.