By investing over a billion-dollar in a South Korean company, which enhances British Columbia's efforts to become a natural gas export hub, Gas-hungry Asia is making a major push.

The deal announced by Korea Gas Corp. yesterday has set the stage for more foreign interest in Canada's natural gas resources, which have fought back under low commodity prices but still form a huge reserve basin that other countries crave.

About $1.1-billion has been planned by the Korea Gas to spend over the next five years to bring gas to the surface from a vast patch of land, which is owned by EnCana Corp. of Calgary. The company predicts to haul out a trillion cubic feet of gas from the area, which nearly enough to feed South Korea's demand for a full year.

"You'll probably see more companies looking to invest in Canadian natural gas. The value chain proposition is increased by owning the resources", said Bill Gwozd, Vice-President of Calgary consulting company Ziff Group.

Korea Gas promises to invest in drilling and development of 72,000 hectares, nearly 20% of EnCana's portfolio in the Montney and Horn River plays. It will achieve a 50% interest in those lands, and hopes to generate 50 billion cubic feet of gas from them in 2017.