Hutchison Whampoa has confirmed it is interested in investing in South Australia's ports. 'As far as we are concerned, we are interested in port privatisation in Australia,' a spokesman said. However, he said the South Australian Government had not yet published bidding documents. South Australian Premier John Olsen said after a recent visit to Hong Kong that Hutchison was a potential bidder for South Australia's 10 port projects to be put on the market, including Adelaide. Formal bids, due to be sought shortly, are expected to attract a great deal of international interest. Hutchison, which has announced its intention to lift its Australian investments, recently bought a 200-year lease on South Australia's state-owned electricity business, paying a premium to the original successful bidder. Transport group Toll, P&O Ports and infrastructure investor Infratil have previously flagged their interest in the ports. Infratil owns 25 per cent of Sea-Land (Australia) Terminal Services, which holds the concession for Adelaide's only international container terminal. Hutchison's port operating arm, Hutchison International Port Holdings, the world's largest privately owned container terminal operator, is aggressively building a global network of ports. PORTS