RI OFFERS LNG TERMINAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TO S KOREA

Jakarta, March 22 (ANTARA) - Indonesia has offered liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal construction projects to South Korean investors, an energy official said here Monday.

"The building of LNG floating storage and re-gasification terminals needs huge investments. Therefore, we have offered the projects to South Korean investors," Evita Herawati Legowo, director general of oil and natural gas at the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry, said.

Speaking to newsmen after witnessing the swearing-in of second -echelon officials at the ministry, she said the offer would be officially repeated at the 3rd Indonesia-Korea Energy Forum.

"We will tell them about the offer again at the forum due to be held in South Korea on March 25-26," she said.

The South Korean investors could get involved in the engineering, procurement and construction tender, Evita said.

In the early stage of the program, the Indonesian government would build some LNG receiving terminals in North Sumatra, West Java, East Java, Bali, and South Sulawesi provinces.

"We do need a lot of LNG receiving terminals but the regions needed them most urgently are North Sumatra and West Java," she said.

At the moment, the government was planning to implement LNG receiving terminal projects in South Sulawesi and Bali, she added.

South Korea is one of Indonesia's important foreign investors. Such South Korean companies as Samsung and LG alrady have big electronic factories in Indonesia.

South Korean cars are also in the Indonesian market.