SYDNEY, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Australian coal miner New Hope Corp put itself up for auction on Wednesday, sending its market value surging 15 percent to top $5 billion and starting a sale process that could test the nation's openness to foreign mine-owners.
New Hope said it had already received several informal bid approaches and that it would invite selected parties to submit proposals to the board for consideration.
The announcement reflects strong interest by offshore firms seeking to buy Australian mines to feed booming Asian demand.
New Hope would not name the interested parties but analysts say Chinese and Indian firms are mostly likely among them.
Australia has scrutinised foreign bids, especially those from state-linked Asian firms, very closely in recent years and has at times rejected them or imposed strict conditions.
China's Yanzhou Coal Mining Co had been looking at Australia's Whitehaven Coal this year but the two companies were unable to agree on a price. Murray Bailey, the managing director of Yanzhou's Australian operations Yancoal, is a former chief operations officer at New Hope.
Local media speculation has pointed to Anglo-Swiss miner Xstrata Plc as a potential bidder.
New Hope, which is 59.7 percent owned by diversified investor Washington H Soul Pattinson , said it had received a number of "preliminary and incomplete proposals".
"A formal process will allow the board to assess these opportunities in a considered manner, with minimal disruption to New Hope's day-to-day business activities," Chairman Robert Millner said in a statement.
Millner is also the chairman of Washington H Soul Pattinson.
New Hope shares were trading 88 cents higher at A$6.17, valuing the company at A$5.1 billion ($4.8 billion), by 0051 GMT after touching a high of A$6.50 shortly after opening.
Soul Pattinson shares were up 10 percent to A$13.89.
A successful deal would follow a string of takeovers in the sector with few independent coal miners remaining following a wave of consolidation.
"Clearly as large shareholders we see value in the stock. There is significant value in the company beyond just its coal mines as it owns the port, a significant land bank as well as other listed investments and a significant amount of cash on the balance sheet," Perpetual portfolio manager James Bruce said.
Peabody Energy has made an agreed A$4.9 billion takeover bid for Macarthur Coal .
New Hope acquired Northern Energy after failing to secure a bid for Australia's Macarthur Coal last year. ($1 = 1.060 Australian Dollars) (Editing by Mark Bendeich)
Reuters
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