Alinta Energy shares have been placed in a trading halt after its shares fell on market speculation about the offer prices of bids for the company.

The heavily indebted company announced yesterday it had received all bids for parts or all of the company after it put its power generating and energy retailing business up for sale.

Alinta said it had called a halt in its shares because it was "currently unable to make an immediate announcement pending the outcome of its ongoing discussions with its lending group and advisers in relation to the deleveraging process previously advised to the market".