Anardarko Petrolum Corp. has teamed up with Indian tycoon Venugopal Dhoot to launch an auction of a 20% stake in a gas field located in Mozambique that could draw $4.5 billion, people familiar with the sale told Reuters.

The offshore gas field has been gaining interests after the gas reserves in the East African country were boosted by recent discoveries to around 150 trillion cubic feet, an amount enough to supply Japan, the world's number one gas importer, for 25 years.

Dhoot, a controller of consumer electronics to mobile phone service conglomerate Videocon Group, is the spearheading the auction process and has recruited UBS and Standard Chartered to advice on the sale, the sources added.

Anadarko is an American oil and gas explorer and currently operates the offshore Area 1 of Mozambique with a 36.5% interest.