By Tom Kleckner

NextEra Energy is said to have offered Energy Future Holdings a combination of cash and debt for its Oncor subsidiary and leads the list of potential suitors for Texas’ largest transmission and distribution utility, according to a Bloomberg report.

Bloomberg quoted “people familiar with the talks” as saying Florida-based NextEra, which had made an unsuccessful bid last year for Oncor, “is closest to reaching a deal” among at least seven companies that have expressed an interest. The sources said an agreement could be reach by early July.

Bloomberg also said Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway and Edison International are among the other companies eyeing Oncor. Spokespersons for the various companies either declined comment or didn’t respond to requests for comment last week.

Dallas-based Hunt Consolidated in May withdrew its year-long application to buy Oncor but filed a lawsuit last month against the Public Utility Commission of Texas asking it to reverse a March order that set conditions on the deal. (See Hunt Reopens Oncor Bid in Lawsuit Against PUCT.)

Bloomberg’s sources said NextEra’s proposal is higher than the Hunt bid.

Oncor is EFH’s regulated subsidiary and said to be valued at $17 billion to $18 billion. EFH, which has been working to emerge from bankruptcy for two years, has a July 8 deadline to file an amended reorganization plan.

Whoever comes up with a new deal for Oncor would have to seek approval from the Delaware bankruptcy court hearing EFH’s case and the Texas PUC, among others.

NextEra is also involved in an attempted acquisition of Hawaiian Electric, a deal announced in December 2014 and valued at $4.3 billion. A state representative told a Hawaii TV station last week that NextEra’s pursuit of Oncor does raise some concerns.

“Clearly some of the financial [analysts] have speculated that if the company is going to be investing there significantly, that it may change the kind of investment and the plans they make out here,” Rep. Chris Lee said.