KfW IPEX-Bank jointly with UniCredit Bank Austria and Raiffeisen Zentralbank finances sodium hypochlorite plant in Moscow

Frankfurt am Main (ots) -

Substitution of chlorine gas in drinking water purification

A German-Austrian banking consortium formed by KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH
as the coordinating bank, UniCredit Bank Austria AG (Bank Austria)
and Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG (RZB), provides EUR 156
million for the construction of a sodium hypochlorite plant in
Moscow.

KfW IPEX-Bank is contributing half the loan amount, or EUR 78
million, while UniCredit Bank Austria AG and RZB are each providing
EUR 39 million. The loan term is around 10 years. The total
investment costs add up to approximately EUR 195 million.

Commissioning is scheduled for 2012, after which time the plant
will produce 62,500 tonnes of sodium hypochlorite a year by membrane
electrolysis. Sodium hypochlorite is used for drinking water
purification and as a replacement for the more common but dangerous
chlorine gas. The municipality of Moscow has decided to phase in this
technology for sterilisation in the purification of drinking water by
municipal waterworks.

This constitutes an important contract for the water industry and
engineering sector in Germany and Austria. WTE Wassertechnik GmbH of
Essen, a subsidiary of EVN AG, the biggest power supply company of
Lower Austria, has been commissioned to plan, erect and operate the
plant. The subcontractor is Chemieanlagenbau Chemnitz GmbH CAC. All
three are renowned enterprises with long engineering experience. The
banks have a good business relationship with WTE and EVN that goes
back many years.

About KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH

Within KfW Bankengruppe KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH provides project and
corporate financing as well as trade and export financing
domestically and abroad. Worldwide it conducts all market activities
of KfW Bankengruppe that are carried out on commercial terms. KfW
IPEX-Bank GmbH has been operating as a legally independent subsidiary
since 1 January 2008 and contributes significantly to the promotional
mission of KfW Bankengruppe. It has approx. 490 employees (as of July
2009) and is represented in the key economic and financial centres
throughout the globe.

About Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG

Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG (RZB) is the central
institution of the Austrian Raiffeisen Banking Group, the country's
largest banking group. It is a leading corporate and investment bank
in Austria and also considers Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as its
home market. RZB is the only Austrian bank with a global network of
business units reaching all important finance centres around the
globe. It is also present in Asia with branches and representative
offices in nine locations. Via listed subsidiary Raiffeisen
International Bank-Holding AG, RZB operates one of the largest
banking networks in CEE, covering 17 markets across the region
through subsidiary banks, leasing companies and a range of other
financial service providers. The group's nearly 62,000 employees
service 14.9 million customers via more than 3,200 business outlets.

About UniCredit Bank Austria AG

Bank Austria is the subholding of UniCredit Group for Central- and
Eastern Europe. UniCredit is a major international financial
institution with strong roots in 22 European countries as well as
representative offices in 27 other markets, with over 40 million
clients and more than 10,200 branches, approximately 174,000
employees at 31 December 2008. In the CEE region, UniCredit operates
the largest international banking network with over 4,000 branches
and outlets, where around 78,000 employees serve more than 28 million
customers. The Group operates in the following CEE countries:
Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Turkey and Ukraine.

Originaltext: KfW-IPEX-Bank
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Contact:
KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH, Palmengartenstraße 5-9, 60325 Frankfurt
Pressestelle: E-Mail: dela.strumpf@kfw.de
Tel.: 069 7431-2984, Fax: 069 7431-9409, E-Mail:
info@kfw-ipex-bank.de, Internet: www.kfw-ipex-bank.de