<div><div class="yn-story-content">
                <p>LONDON (AFP) – BHP Billiton, the world's top miner, is planning a takeover of Australia's biggest oil and gas producer Woodside Energy, The Sunday Times newspaper reported.</p>
                <p>
The Anglo-Australian firm is in detailed talks with Royal Dutch Shell, Woodside's biggest shareholder, for an eventual £30 billion ($50 billion, 34 billion euro) takeover, according to the broadsheet.</p>
                <p>
Shell would give BHP its Woodside shares in exchange for some of BHP's top assets, including the Sunrise gas field, the weekly said.</p>
                <p>
Then, once the deal is agreed, BHP would launch a full takeover offer for the producer, which is listed on the Sydney exchange.</p>
                <p>
"A move on Woodside would mark a significant strategic switch for BHP, which has a cash pile of $16 billion (11 billion euros) thanks to a commodities boom that has taken the price of iron ore, copper and oil to record levels," the newspaper said.</p>
                <p>
BHP "already has oil and gas assets, but they are small compared with its mining operations," it said.</p>
                <p>
            </p></div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class="rssreadon" rel="external" title="BHP planning Woodside takeover: report   (AFP)" href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110410/wl_uk_afp/australiabritainminingcompanybhpwoodsidetakeover" target="_blank">http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110410/wl_uk_afp/australiabritainminingcompanybhpwoodsidetakeover</a></p>