CTJHY Citic Resources Holdings Ltd (PK)

SYDNEY (Dow Jones) Macarthur Coal Ltd. (MCC.AU) said Wednesday it has extended its offer for Gloucester Coal Ltd. (GCL.AU) to May 13.

In a statement released after the market had closed, the company confirmed its linked bid for Queensland-based miner Middlemount was terminated but extended the time for Gloucester shareholders to decide on the offer.

Macarthur had planned to buy both assets from Noble Group Ltd. (N21.SG), a Hong Kong-based commodities trader, in exchange for shares which would turn Noble into Macarthur's biggest shareholder.

Macarthur is the target of a separate takeover offer from the U.S.-based Peabody Energy Corp. (BTU).

Last week it gave Peabody access to a data room to conduct due diligence as it considered its A$4.07 billion takeover bid, and gave it until May 3 to come to a decision.

-By David Fickling, Dow Jones Newswires; 61-2-8272-4689; david.fickling@dowjones.com