* Andrew Forrest's Wyloo raises bid for Noront

* Wyloo bids C$0.70 a share vs BHP's C$0.55

* BHP to waive standstill clause for Wyloo to conduct due diligence (Adds details from BHP, Noront statements)

Aug 31 (Reuters) – BHP Group said on Tuesday it would consider matching a raised bid by billionaire Andrew Forrest's Wyloo Metals for nickel miner Noront Resources Ltd as the two tussle for the supply of a key battery metal used in electric vehicles (EV).

The statement follows Wyloo indicating it was willing to pay 27% more than what BHP had offered for the Canadian company, proposing that it could keep Noront public or buy out the remaining shares it does not already own.

At stake in the scramble for Noront is the Eagle's Nest nickel asset in Canada's so-called Ring of Fire, a high-grade deposit of the metal, as well as copper and palladium.

Wyloo's proposed sweetened bid of C$0.70 per share, up from C$0.315, compares with an offer of C$0.55 per share from BHP in July.

The Forrest-owned company is Noront's largest shareholder with a stake of around 24%, according to Refinitiv data, and has said it would not support the Anglo-Australian firm's bid.

BHP said in a statement on Tuesday it would "consider its alternatives if a competing offer does materialize, including its right to match any superior proposal."

Noront said it continues to back BHP's offer as Wyloo has yet to make a binding offer.

A bone of contention in Wyloo gaining access to due diligence on Noront has been a standstill clause that BHP said it would waive.

($1 = 1.2606 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Nikhil Kurian Nainan, additional reporting by Riya Sharma and Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Aditya Soni)