The Business Spectator is reporting that Origin is open to demerging its utility business from its exploration and production assets.
It is believed that Macquarie Capital is already in the process of planning the move.
It was previously thought that Origin had always planned to spin off its utility assets, however, with the current low oil prices, any decision may not come for another six months.
In a research note released by UBS last week, it is believed that Origin’s 37.5 per cent stake in the Australia Pacific LNG Project has an implied market value of $2.5 billion, yet UBS has its value at $6.2 billion while its book value is closer to $10 billion.
Any split could only happen if the debt load associated with the utility business was reduced, according to UBS, and the easiest route for this would be to sell all or some of its stake in the APLNG venture.
Origin already has sale processes underway for some of its other assets though Bank of America Merrill Lynch and UBS.
