KIEV, Nov. 3 - Ukraine??™s petrochemical company KarpatNaftoKhim, majority owned by Russian oil firm Lukoil, on Friday started construction of a new $150 million chlorine and caustic soda plant in Kalush.

President Viktor Yushchenko attended the opening ceremony, together with Vagit Alekperov, the president of Lukoil, and Klaus Schneiders, the executive board chairman at Uhde, a German engineering firm that will build the plant.