Triplico Energy is preparing a Qualified Opportunity Zone fund focused on building natural gas reserves in rural Opportunity Zones across South Texas and the Gulf Coast.
Be First to Learn About the New Oil & Gas QOZ Fund
Created in 2017, the Opportunity Zone program encourages private capital into designated communities. Investors who reinvest capital gains in a Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF) within the required time frame may qualify for certain tax benefits, subject to program requirements and individual circumstances.
Tax on the gain you reinvest is deferred rather than due immediately.
A basis step-up permanently reduces the taxable portion of the original gain.
Appreciation on the fund investment may be tax-free after a 10-year hold.
Capital gains from a range of sales may be eligible for deferral when reinvested in a Qualified Opportunity Fund.
Capital gains from selling public or private company shares.
Gains from selling all or part of an operating company or ownership interest.
Capital gains from selling rental, commercial or investment property.
Capital gains from selling or exchanging digital assets.
Eligible gains must be invested within 180 days to qualify for QOZ benefits. Eligibility depends on your individual circumstances. Please consult your tax advisor.
The 2025 federal tax law (OBBBA) made Opportunity Zones permanent. For gains invested on or after January 1, 2027, potentially lucrative tax benefits now exist, especially in rural areas.
| 5 Yr. Deferral | Rolling: deferred up to 5 years from your own investment date |
| 5 Yr. Basis Step-Up | 10% at 5 years; 30% for Qualified Rural Opportunity Funds, for additional tax savings |
| 10 Yr. Appreciation Exclusion | At 10 years, future appreciation is excluded from future capital gains tax upon sale. |
| Rural Focus | Rural funds hold at least 90% of assets in rural zones; improvement test cut from 100% to 50% on acquisition of existing assets |
If you invest your capital gains in private real estate, you already understand the appeal of a sponsor-led, tangible-asset offering. Oil and gas can dramatically enhance your capital gains investment.
The table below compares a $1,000,000 eligible capital gain invested three ways after 2026: in a taxable non-OZ investment, in a standard (non-rural) OZ real estate fund, and in a rural OZ oil and gas fund. Each investment is assumed to grow to 2.5 times its starting value over ten years.
| Non-OZ investment | OZ real estate investment | OZ rural oil & gas investment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard after-tax evaluation | |||
| Initial capital gain to be invested | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Tax on gain (23.8%) | ($238,000) | $0 | $0 |
| After-tax investment amount | $762,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| 10-year multiple (assumed) | 2.5x | 2.5x | 2.5x |
| Value after 10 years | $1,905,000 | $2,500,000 | $2,500,000 |
| Total appreciation | $1,143,000 | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 |
| Tax on appreciation | ($272,034) | $0 (excluded) | $0 (excluded) |
| Deferred gain recognized (year 5) | n/a | $900,000 | $700,000 |
| Tax on deferred gain (year 5) | n/a | ($214,200) | ($166,600) |
| Ending after-tax value | $1,632,966 | $2,285,800 | $2,333,400 |
| After-tax OZ advantage | n/a | $652,834 | $700,434 |
| Additional oil and gas benefit under OBBBA | |||
| First-year deduction (IDCs and 100% bonus depreciation) | n/a | n/a | $1,000,000 |
| Tax value of deduction (37% top federal rate) | n/a | n/a | $370,000 |
| Ending after-tax value with oil & gas benefit | $1,632,966 | $2,285,800 | $2,703,400 |
| Total after-tax advantage vs. non-OZ | n/a | $652,834 (+40%) | $1,070,434 (+66%) |
Assumes a post-2026 investment of a $1,000,000 eligible capital gain, held for 10 years, with a 10% basis step-up for the non-rural real estate fund and a 30% step-up for the rural oil and gas fund, and a 23.8% federal capital gains rate in both the year of the original gain and the year the deferral ends. Assumes the first-year deduction equals the full amount invested and is fully usable by the investor in the year of investment at the 37% top federal rate on ordinary income. Assumes investors hold their fund interests as general partners with active responsibility and general liability, so the deduction is non-passive under the oil and gas working interest exception and can offset ordinary income. Ignores interim cash distributions, operating income, real estate depreciation, percentage depletion, basis, at-risk, and excess business loss limits, the time value of money, fees, and state taxes. Hypothetical; not a projection of any fund’s results.
In this example, the OZ real estate investor finishes with about 40% more after-tax wealth than the non-OZ investor, and the rural oil and gas investor finishes with about 66% more. The rural oil and gas advantage of $1,070,434 comes from three sources:
Our fund is built to combine what energy investors value with what Opportunity Zone investors value, in markets where both are strongest: rural America.
Natural gas rarely makes headlines, yet it quietly powers much of American life.
Here are three things many people don’t realize.
Natural gas is the most common source of U.S. electricity.
Nearly half of U.S. homes are heated with it. In 2024, natural gas was the main heating fuel in 47% of homes, still the most common, ahead of electricity at 42%.
It is more than a fuel. Natural gas supplies about 42% of U.S. industrial energy use, both for power and heat and as a raw material (feedstock) to make products you use every day!
Texas is the largest natural gas-consuming state and home to LNG export terminals, including Freeport LNG. Rural Opportunity Zones let investors with eligible capital gains pair natural gas development with the enhanced incentives for rural zones.
The dramatically expanded future need for clean-burning natural gas, both domestically and for exporting LNG to our foreign allies, is well documented.
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Natural Gas Explained: Use of Natural Gas (2023 data, updated Oct. 2024), for electricity generation share, industrial use and Texas consumption; U.S. Energy Information Administration, Today in Energy, “Electricity use is becoming more common for residential heating” (Oct. 10, 2025), citing the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, for home heating; U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook (Aug. 2025), for natural gas remaining the most prevalent source of electricity generation. Figures are subject to change.
Triplico Energy is led by two energy executives with decades of upstream experience, from field operations to the boardroom.
Mark brings nearly 50 years of hands-on oil and gas experience, supervising the drilling, completion and production of wells. He founded The Frontline Group of Texas, serving majors including BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and Shell, among others. Over 25 years, Mark has served as CEO or COO for a number of multi-million dollar oil and gas exploration and production ventures, focused on excellence and leading multi-disciplinary teams of oil and gas professionals.
Ty brings nearly 50 years of energy industry experience, including 28 years as CFO, COO or President and 12 years as Chairman and CEO of an exchange and NASDAQ listed small cap energy company. He has deep expertise in corporate governance, M&A, transactional structuring, corporate finance, securities and regulatory compliance. At Triplico, he provides executive leadership, financial management and compliance oversight.
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