Reuters: Talisman Energy says asset sale plan on track

Talisman Energy Inc , the Canadian oil producer whose shares have fallen more than half in the past year, said on Tuesday it expects to meet its goal of selling $2 billion in assets by mid-2015 despite tumbling oil prices.

The company, which reported a bigger-than-expected third-quarter profit on Tuesday, said buyers remained interested even as oil prices drop to three-year lows.

Chief Executive Hal Kvisle said Talisman expects to make one or two sale announcement by year end and the largest of those potential deals, the sale of some of its fee-based pipeline and processing assets in the Marcellus shale gas field in the U.S. northeast, is not affected by low oil prices.

"It's more dependent on low interest rates than high commodity prices," Kvisle said in an interview. "It's the low interest-rate environment that makes it attractive."
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