Russian tycoon Usmanov joins Udokan copper race

MOSCOW, July 11 (Reuters) - Metalloinvest, the Russian miner half-owned by billionaire Alisher Usmanov, has submitted a bid to develop the huge Udokan copper field and may be joined by state firm Russian Technologies if it wins the tender, a source close to the talks between the two firms said on Friday.

The deadline for registering bids has been set for Friday, July 11, and the auction will be held on Sept. 17.

Several companies have already submitted bids, including Norilsk Nickel (GMKN.MM), Russia's largest copper miner, and Strikeforce Mining and Resources Ltd (SMR), the mining arm of billionaire Oleg Deripaska's Basic Element company.

State-owned Russian Railways is leading a bid as the head of a consortium called Russkaya Med, or Russian Copper, that includes No. 2 Russian copper producer Urals Mining and Metals Co and state debt and pension fund agent Development Bank.

Onexim Group, the investment vehicle of billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, has also submitted a bid.

State conglomerate Russian Technologies, which has steel and titanium assets, said earlier this month it was negotiating the formation of a team to develop Udokan with potential winners.

Nikolai Volobuyev, deputy head of the industrial giant, said it was interested in Udokan as the Russian government had effectively handed over to Russian Technologies its 49 percent stake in Mongolian copper miner Erdenet, based close to Udokan. (Reporting by Polina Devitt, writing by Aleksandras Budrys, Peter Blackburn)