(Reuters) ExxonMobil Corp. reported plans for a major expansion at its Baytown, Tex., refining and petrochemical complex just east of Houston. Plans call for construction of a 1.5 million tonne/year ethane cracker at the complex as well as two 650,000 tpy polyethylene production lines nearby its plastics plant in Mont Belvieu, Tex.

ExxonMobil has already filed approval requests with the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The project’s final decision will be taken following the completion of the review and approval procedure, which is expected to take about a year. ExxonMobil anticipates the facilities to be online in 2016.

ExxonMobil's Baytown complex is the largest in the US. Apart from generating 10,000 temporary construction jobs as well as 350 permanent jobs, this expansion will likely create 3,700 jobs in the Baytown area, the company said.

SNC-Lavalin (TSX: SNC) is pleased to announce that it has acquired DBA Engineering, an Ontario-based engineering firm specializing in materials and pavement engineering, and geotechnical and geo-environmental studies.

Founded in 1991, DBA Engineering has grown steadily by adopting and developing value-added technologies and maintaining a client-focused approach. Today, DBA has approximately 100 employees at offices in Toronto, Kingston, Cambridge and Trenton, and provides services to both public and private sector clients.

“The expertise of DBA Engineering in materials and geotechnical engineering will reinforce the market footprint and technical capabilities of SNC-Lavalin by integrating with that of our subsidiary, Groupe Qualitas,” said Charles Chebl, Executive Vice-President, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. “DBA will also provide an additional source of expertise and enhance our service offering for major projects that we are carrying out or are targeting across Ontario.”

“SNC-Lavalin and DBA share the same philosophy in terms of client satisfaction, technical advancement, cooperation and trustworthiness,” said Param Dhillon, President, DBA Engineering. “We are delighted with this union because it provides our company with a platform to grow technically and geographically in Ontario, and gives our exceptional employees a chance to advance professionally and personally.”

WATERLOO - Terepac Corp., a pioneer in the world's tiniest digital electronics, and Rockwell Automation have engaged so Terepac can produce large volumes of its micro circuits for the "Internet of Things" -- uniquely identifiable objects and their virtual representations in an Internet-like structure that requires radio frequency identification (RFID) as a prerequisite.

Based on the agreement, Rockwell Automation will support the infrastructure that Terepac uses for its proprietary process, enabling it to miniaturize significantly more circuits than its current capability.

"Advanced manufacturing technology is rapidly transforming the global competitive landscape, and Terepac is using its unique technology to produce very small circuits," said Sujeet Chand, senior vice president and chief technology officer, Rockwell Automation. "We have a unique opportunity to help Terepac scale its breakthrough technology and advance microelectronics to the next level."

"We're pleased to work with Rockwell Automation's highly qualified team because they're a world leader in the delivery of industrial automation solutions," said Terepac CEO Ric Asselstine. "They share our goal to create extraordinary technology to give people everywhere more useful information about the world around them."

Technip, in a consortium with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) Co. Ltd., the Technip-Daewoo Consortium (TDC), has been awarded by Petronas Floating LNG 1 (Labuan) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) a services contract for engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning for floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility of 1.2 million ton per year maximun capacity. The 300 meter-long and 60 meter-wide FLNG facility will be located offshore Malaysia. The contract is an Alliance between TDC, led by Technip, and Petronas. Technip’s portion is composed of project management services and lump sum for engineering.

The detailed design of the topsides(1) will be executed by Technip’s operating centers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Paris, France. Engineering of the hull and building of the FLNG facility will take place at Daewoo’s shipyard in Okpo, South Korea. This contract follows the successful completion of the front-end engineering design phase awarded to TDC in December 2010.

Thierry Pilenko, Chairman and CEO of Technip, declared: “This new contract, led by our Kuala Lumpur operating center, confirms Technip leadership in the very promising market of offshore natural gas liquefaction. The award combines several technologies and know-how from Technip: natural gas liquefaction, offshore floating facilities and subsea infrastructures. Together with the expertise of DSME and our long standing relationship with Petronas, Malaysia’s national oil company, we are confident in the success of this strategic project.”