Good evening,

London-listed Foresight Solar Fund Limited has kicked off an auction for a 230-megawatt portfolio of Australian solar farms, after flagging the mooted divestment last year to pay down debt.

Street Talk can reveal the £429 million ($848 million) fund has mandated Azure Capital to find a buyer for the four solar farms. A teaser is in front of prospective bidders who’ve been told to expect a bidding timetable shortly.

The up-for-grabs portfolio includes the 110-megawatt Bannerton solar park in Victoria’s Robinvale, the 30-megawatt Oakley 1, 70-megawatt Oakley 2 and the 17-megawatt Longreach asset. All up that’s about 227 megawatts of operational capacity.

Of note, Bannerton’s co-owners, Korea Development Bank’s infrastructure arm KIAMCO and Hanwha Energy, have joined Foresight’s exit attempt, paving the way for a 100 per cent sale.

Read the full story tomorrow and more on the Street Talk page.

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Billionaire publican Bruce Mathieson attempted to acquire Star Entertainment’s sprawling Gold Coast property late last year with a proposal that valued the resort complex at about $550 million.

Banks pushed the Australian sharemarket lower on Monday, after a disappointing set of results from Bendigo Bank and Westpac bruised sentiment towards the sector.

Click here for the latest equity market wrap.