OREANDA-NEWS. March 30, 2012. State-run policy bank Export Import Bank of Korea (Kexim) said that it will provide financing for Korean companies participating in a multi-billion gas project in Uzbekistan.

Eight Korean companies including Korea Gas and Honam Petrochemical are currently participating in the Uzbekistan Surgil gas field development and plant construction project, which it will be helping finance, Dow Jones reported quoting a statement of Kexim.

In February 2008, Uzbekneftegaz and South Korean consortium created a joint venture UzKorGasChemical for construction of the Ustyurt Gas-Chemical Complex on the base of Surgil deposit. The consortium included Kogas, Lotte Daesan Petrochemical Corp. (in 2009, it was replaced with Honam Petrochemical), LG International Corp., SK Gas and STX Energy.

Recently, Korea Gas Corp announced that it decided to buy a 362.3 billion Korean won (US3.04 million) stake in a Malaysian registered company, Kor-Uz Gas Chemical Investment Ltd, to participate in a project in Surgil, Uzbekistan.

After the purchase, Korea Gas Corp will hold a 45% stake in the Kor-Uz, while South Korea's Honam Petrochemical Corp will have a 45% and STX Energy will hold a remaining 10%.

According to the feasibility study, the complex will annually process 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas, and produce 400,000 polyethylene and 100,000 tonnes of polypropylene, as well as 100,000 tonnes of pyrolized petroleum. Singapore’s CMAI prepared the feasibility study of the project. The construction term is 38 months.

The resource base of the project is Surgil, Vostochniy Berdah-Uchsay and Severniy Berdah fields. Surgil field is the largest of them. Its reserves, according to the Uzbek side, make up about 120 billion cubic meters of gas.

As reported earlier, President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov approved sources of financing of construction of Ustyurt Gas Chemical Complex in northern-western Uzbekistan.

The project with the cost of US billion will be financed due to loans of international financial institutions based on project financing at the size of US.52 billion, resources of Uz-Kor GasChemical and loan of the Fund for Reconstruction and Development.

In line with the document, Uzbekneftegaz national holding company will invest US5.43 million, including property, while Kor-Uz Gas Chemical Investment Ltd. – US5.43 million.

As reported earlier, the Asian Development Bank has approved a loan and political risk guarantee totaling up to 0 million to Uz-Kor GasChemical for construction of the complex.