ONGC-IOC-OIL bid $5 billion for ConocoPhillips' assets

Bid for stake in six Alberta properties that produce about 25,000 barrels of oil per day

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), Indian Oil (IOC) and Oil India (OIL) have made a joint bid of about $5 billion for buying stake in six Canadian oil sands assets of US energy giant ConocoPhillips.

"We had a few weeks back placed a non-binding bid for a stake in the six Alberta properties of ConocoPhillips ," a top source at one of the three state-owned firms said.

Houston-based ConocoPhillips has since then closed bidding for selling as much as 50% of its oil-sand reserves in Alberta.

"There are some producing assets and some exploration assets on offer," he said without giving more details.

ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas arm of the state explorer, had earlier this month bought US energy firm Hess Corp's stake in Azeri, Chirag and Guneshli (AGC) group of oil fields in Azerbaijan for $1 billion.

ConocoPhillips has hired Scotia Waterous for selling stake in six Alberta properties that produce about 25,000 barrels of oil per day from an estimated 30 billion barrels of bitumen in place.

Development of these reserves could increase production to more than 500,000 bpd.

D K Sarraf, Managing Director of ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas arm of the state explorer, said the company keeps looking at opportunities globally and would not comment on any specific transaction.

"For the sake of running your (news) business, I cannot be closing down my business," he said.

He however said North America continues to attract global investors as it has "huge tradeable resources."

Asked if properties in North America continued to be attractive given that firms like BHP Billiton, BG Group and Canada's Encana have written down value of shale gas assets, Sarraf said, "It is only a question of time when these assets will become valuable again. The values will go up again once price of natural gas in US and North America goes up. Price of natural gas is bound to go up."

ConocoPhillips has been looking to sell assets in a number of countries, including Nigeria, as part of a global restructuring.

Of its six properties on offer in Canada, only Surmont, run in a joint venture with France's Total SA, is producing oil.

Located south of the oil sands hub of Fort McMurray, Alberta, the steam-driven development pumps about 25,000 barrels a day.

The partners are working to boost that to 136,000 bpd, starting in 2015.

The other properties are the Thornbury, Clyden, Saleski, Crow Lake and McMillan Lake assets. The land totals 715,000 acres.

ConocoPhillips had in 2010 sold its interest in the Syncrude Canada oil sands mining venture to Sinopec for $4.7 billion.