A hunch...but I suspect the binding bid process could be closed earlier than next Thursday if IOC chooses and that the date provided to the market had some time provision for possible delays. And hence it will be first week in March for IOC deal decision as the jan press release indicated. After all this time, it's very likely that IOC has set this up to ensure they beat expectations on this (timing wise) as a courtesy to the shareholders...and as an indication of how they plan to execute going forward... I.e. do what they say they will do on time, every time.
Further-I predict the deal will value IOC's share of the Elk/Antelope LNG project somewhere between $7 and $10 Billion.
Petro2458