Private equity firms The Carlyle Group Inc. (NasdaqGS:CG), Hibiscus Petroleum Berhad (KLSE:HIBISCS) and Jadestone Energy plc (AIM:JSE) are believed to be the final contenders in the race to buy Woodside Energy Group Ltd. (ASX:WDS)'s Macedon oil and gas assets in Western Australia. Expectations are that the Macedon project could be worth about $500m ($770m). Woodside last year hired Morgan Stanley to sell Macedon and its other project, Pyrenees, but Pyrenees has not attracted buyer interest, sources say.

The Pyrenees oil and gas field is a mature asset with 24 wells and has rehabilitation costs of about $1bn. Now the question is whether Woodside proceeds with the sale of just the one asset, or insists on any suitor buying both. And if it cannot find one to take both Pyrenees and Macedon, does it shelve the sale process.

It's a process that slipped into the background last year when Woodside opted to sell assets in a deal to buy Australian rival Santos. Now the Santos talks have ended with both parties unable to reach an agreement - a result largely expected by industry experts because of price expectations, different shareholder requirements and a lack of synergies - other asset sales and acquisitions are again a topic of discussion for both Woodside and Santos. Santos boss Kevin Gallagher is likely to now assess options to unlock value for the company, such as with asset sales or demergers, but it's too early to say what his focus will be.

Woodside has always indicated it is keen on acquisition opportunities offshore, such as the Gulf of Mexico, and some believe it is under pressure to find new earning streams as other projects come to an end. Jadestone Energy, a Singapore-based upstream oil and gas development and production company focused on the Asia Pacific region, already has assets in Australia, so it is no stranger to this market, and neither is Carlyle. It is believed that the sale process is now in the second round after first round bids were received last year.

Woodside has a 71.4% interest in the Macedon field and a 62% holding in Pyrenees, which it operates. The assets will sustain production into the mid-2030s.