Australia's second-largest gas producer Santos said on Monday it intended to support an all-cash $18.7 billion takeover bid from an international consortium led by Abu Dhabi's National Oil Company (ADNOC),

Santos, an Australian oil and gas producer, has announced the receipt of a non-binding indicative proposal from a consortium led by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to acquire all the ordinary shares of Santos through an arrangement process.

Santos said XRG, an investment arm of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, had made an indicative cash offer of $5.76 a share, valuing the Adelaide-based company at $18.7bn. It represents a 28 per cent premium to Santos’s closing share price last week.