SYDNEY -(Dow Jones)- Private equity house KKR & Co. L.P. (KKR) has cooled its interest in BHP Billiton Ltd.'s (BHP) Ekati diamond mine in Canada, raising questions about demand for such assets, the Financial Times reported Sunday, citing unnamed sources.
BHP said in November it was reviewing the Ekati mine, which industry participants say is worth between US$750 million and US$1.2 billion, the Financial Times said.
The sale had also attracted initial interest from private equity firm Apollo Global Management, the newspaper reported.
Rio Tinto PLC (RIO) has appointed Morgan Stanley to assess options for its diamond business.
Newspaper website: http://www.ft.com
-By Sydney bureau; 61-2-82724680; djnews.sydney@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 27, 2012 19:53 ET (23:53 GMT)
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