UPDATE 1-Ankara mayor sees gas tender completed by end-Nov

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By Orhan Coskun and Hatice Aydogdu

ANKARA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - A tender to sell off the Turkish capital's gas distribution grid will be completed by the end of November, the city's mayor told Reuters in an interview.

The tender, part of a wider sale of the country's distribution grids, is expected to begin in the next two weeks.

"Preparations for the tender will be completed this week. We will begin the tender in one or two weeks ... Most likely the tender will be done by the end of November," Ankara mayor Melih Gokcek told Reuters late on Monday.

The tender has attracted the likes of Gaz de France GAZ.PA, Germany's RWE (RWEG.DE), Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) and Turkish companies Aksa, Zorlu (ZOREN.IS), Energaz and Sabanci Group (SAHOL.IS), a Turkish official told Reuters on Monday.

The official said the tender would be worth between $6 billion and $18 billion in three years.

Other firms besides state-owned BOTAS will be able to export gas abroad, and some are looking at sources from Russia and central Asia.

"There are companies among those that have applied for the tender which are thinking of bringing in natural gas from Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. It is clear that the profits will be high for those companies that bring natural gas in from other countries," said Gokcek.