(Reuters) - Natural gas pipeline operator Regency Energy Partners LP (>> Regency Energy Partners LP) will buy rival PVR Partners LP (>> PVR Partners LP) for $5.6 billion, including debt, giving it a foothold in the prolific Marcellus and Utica shale fields.

The deal includes the assumption of $1.8 billion in debt, the companies said.

(Reporting by Swetha Gopinath in Bangalore; Editing by Don Sebastian)

Stocks treated in this article : Regency Energy Partners LP, PVR Partners LP