HONG KONG/KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Energy majorsExxon Mobil Corp and Royal Dutch Shell areamong the suitors advancing to the next round of bidding forNewfield Exploration Co's Malaysian and Chinese oil and gasfields valued at about $1.2 billion, people familiar with thematter said.
Nearly a dozen suitors were attracted to Newfield's auctionthat kicked off about two months ago. Newfield's advisor,Goldman Sachs, has whittled down to the list to at leastfour, inviting Canada's Talisman Energy Inc and KUFPEC,a unit of Kuwait Petroleum Corp, to submit second-round bids inmid-September along with Exxon and Shell, the people added.
Woodlands, Texas-based Newfield, Exxon and Shell declined tocomment. Talisman did not reply to an email seeking comment,while KUFPEC could not be reached for comment. The sourcesdeclined to be identified as the sale process is confidential.