OREANDA-NEWS. May 04, 2009. Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Karim Massimov has commissioned to establish a special working group to avert swine flu in Kazakhstan. “I have instructed Healthcare Minister to take required measures to prevent penetration of the swine flu into Kazakhstan. The disease is spreading, and we need to ensure greater protection”, Prime Minister said at a government’s telephone conference.

Another issue on the agenda was cooperation with South Korea. South Korean companies are interested in producing technology-intensive electronic equipment in Kazakhstan. This had been said in the course of a telephone talk between Prime Minister K. Massimov and his South Korean counterpart Prime Minister Han Seung-soo.

Mr. Massimov said that in the course of the talk they had also dwelt on construction of the Balkhash termal plant being constructed in partnership with South Korean companies – Samsung and KEPKO.

He said that the South Korean side had suggested Smaruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund and KazMunaiGaz O&G Company to start negotiations with LG Chemical so that the latter could participate in construction of a petrochemistry facility in Atyrau oblast.

When talking on regional industrial projects, Mangystau governor Krymbek Kusherbayev announced that a shipbuilding yard would be placed in operation in Mangystau oblast this coming September. The construction works are being carried out by Keppel Kazakhstan LLP. According to a company’s representative, “the project is estimated USD 40 million, USD 35 of which has already been accommodated”. “The facility will be operational in the Q3 2009”, sad the company’s representative. The facility will be servicing oil companies operating in the Caspian offshore. Keppel Kazakhstan LLP has been implementing the shipbuilding yard project in the Aktau Seaport Free Economic Zone since 2003. The company has been servicing vessels employed in the Kazakhstan’s oil industry, notably at Kashagan oil filed.

Besides, K. Massimov commissioned to work out a map of industrial facilities. Promising investment projects should be pegged to certain areas, with required state support defined, PM believes. When drafting the map, it is important to take into account the current potential of railways, car roads, and electric power industry infrastructure, consider other factors, and think of long-term development of transport infrastructure.