Carlyle Emerges As Bidder For Gas Natural Assets - Sources

U.S. private equity firm Carlyle Group L.P. has emerged as a bidder for a bundle of gas assets put up for sale by Spain's Gas Natural SDG SA (GAS.MC), people familiar with the situation said Friday.

Carlyle is planning to file a joint offer with Spanish buyout group Magnum Capital Industrial Partners before a Nov. 30 deadline. The joint offer would value Gas Natural's assets, including debt, at between EUR700 million and EUR800 million, one person familiar with the matter said.

A spokesman for Carlyle in Spain declined to comment on the transaction. Gas Natural also declined to comment.

Spanish competition authorities have required Gas Natural to sell the assets --some 500,000 gas retail sale points in the Madrid region-- as a condition for its recent takeover of local power utility Union Fenosa.

Gas Natural is also required by the competition watchdog to sell 2,000 megawatts in gas-fired generation capacity, but that divestment isn't included in this bundle.

At least three other groups are also lining up bids for the assets, including infrastructure funds managed by Macquarie (MIG.AU) and Morgan Stanley (MS) as well as private equity fund CVC Capital Partners, the people said.

Gas Natural chief executive Rafael Villaseca said earlier this month that the energy company wants to conclude the sale before the end of the year.

Citigroup (C) and JP Morgan Chase (JPM) are advising Gas Natural on the divestment.

Company Web Site: http://www.gasnatural.com

-By Christopher Bjork and Marietta Cauchi, Dow Jones Newswires, 34-91-395-8125, [e-mail] (Marietta Cauchi reported from London.)