Blackstone weighs $5 billion sale of Beacon Offshore, Bloomberg News reports

Jan 20 (Reuters) - Blackstone BX.N is in talks to sell its Beacon Offshore Energy, which operates oil and gas assets in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico for more than $5 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The asset manager has begun early talks with investment banks about a possible listing of the company as soon as the first quarter, the report said.

The Houston-based company is likely to draw interest from major Gulf of Mexico producers, the people said.

Beacon Offshore Energy did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.