Aug 5 (Reuters) - Pipeline operator Williams Companies ( WMB )

beat second-quarter profit estimates on Monday, helped

by gains from acquisitions and expansion projects.

Williams has made a series of acquisitions in recent past to

boost its capacity, hoping to tap into an expected spike in

demand for liquefied natural gas exports and power-intensive AI

data centers.

The pipeline operator had said in December last year it

would acquire natural gas storage assets in the U.S. Gulf coast

from an affiliate of Hartree Partners for $1.95 billion and

closed the deal in January this year.

Earlier in 2023, it had also closed a $1.07 billion deal for

MountainWest Pipelines.

The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based company said its Transmission and

Gulf of Mexico unit's adjusted core profit rose 8.6% to $812

million.

The gains helped it offset weaker volumes of natural gas

gathering in several segments and lower realized gains on gas

hedges.

The U.S. natural gas prices have slumped about 26% this

year, amid mild weather and oversupply in storage.

Williams, whose Transco pipeline transports about 15% of the

nation's natural gas, said it is on tracks to achieve the top

half of its 2024 adjusted core forecast of $6.8 billion and $7.1

billion.

The company reported an adjusted profit of 43 cents per

share for the quarter ended June 30, compared with analysts'

average estimate of 38 cents per share, according to LSEG data.