Exclusive-Buyout firm KKR looks to sell Canadian gas producer Westbrick -sources

(Reuters) - Private equity firm KKR & Co is seeking buyers for Canadian oil and gas producer Westbrick Energy Ltd to cash in on high energy prices, in a potential deal valued at around C$1.5 billion to C$2.0 billion ($1.13 billion to $1.5 billion), two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Majority owner KKR aims to strike a deal by the end of the year, one of the sources said, adding that KKR could still retain the company if it does not receive suitable offers.

KKR has owned Westbrick for a decade, longer than most of its investments, making a sale logical, a second source said. KKR invested C$250 million in Westbrick when it was a smaller producer in 2012.

The sources requested anonymity as the plans are confidential. KKR declined to comment.

Westbrick Chief Executive Officer Ken McCagherty, who has led the company since its formation in 2011, did not confirm or deny that the company is seeking a sale soon.

"Anyone who knows me knows that Westbrick has been for sale every day since our existence," he told Reuters via email.

He added that it is not surprising to see the interest in acquiring the company, and did not respond to further questions.

($1 = 1.3337 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Shariq Khan in Bengaluru and Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Additional reporting by David French in New York; Editing by Denny Thomas and Matthew Lewis)

By Shariq Khan and Rod Nickel