Williams Companies is said to be one of the bidders for QEP Resources' natural gas pipeline unit, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

QEP Resources, a leading independent natural gas and oil exploration and production company, is likely to select a buyer within weeks for Entrada Midstream, which may fetch about $2.5 billion, Bloomberg quoted the sources as saying.

Under pressure from Jana Partners, QEP said in June it would spin off QEP Field Services and rename it as Entrada Midstream  after the activist hedge fund said the company did not have enough expertise to run the unit.

Jana, which held a 7.2 per cent stake in QEP as of September 5, said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday that it had dissolved its entire position in QEP.

The company is working with Deutsche Bank AG to find buyers, Bloomberg reported.

QEP's former parent, Questar Corp, is also in line to buy Entrada, Bloomberg quoted a spokesman for the natural gas utility as saying.-Reuters