Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC) announced Tuesday it was awarded a design contract from Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Company, an affiliate of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), to develop a process design package (PDP) and front end engineering design (FEED) package for the build of an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) plant in the Industrial City of Jubail in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Officials did not disclose the value of the contract that will be executed from Jacobs' Winnersh, UK and Al-Khobar offices.

UHMWPE is used in many industrial applications including batteries and industrial fibers. This plant is to have a production capacity of 35,000 tonnes per year using ethylene sourced from Kayan's existing olefins plant and is of significant strategic importance as SABIC is to use its own technology.

SABIC, headquartered in Riyadh, ranks among the world's top petrochemical companies and is a market leader in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.