Kuwait Seals US$6.245bn ECA-Backed Corporate Transaction
(Bonds & Loans, London, 5 December 2017) Kuwait National Petroleum Company’s (KNPC) US$6.245bn ECA-backed loan was a triumph for the company’s Clean Fuel Project and the region’s credit markets, setting a new record for the largest ECA-backed corporate loan to date. The Project involves modernisation of the Mina Al Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah oil refineries of KNPC located in Al Ahmadi Governorate, south of the country, to make their products meet stringent environmental requirements. Total debt financing for the Project is estimated to be around US$10bn. The financing package is supported by 7 ECAs: Atradius Dutch State Business N.V., Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-Sure), Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, SACE, and UK Export Finance. JBIC and KEXIM extended direct financing to KNPC while the other agencies provided cover to commercial bank lenders involved in the transaction.