Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.; www.jacobs.com) was awarded a contract from Vastly (formerly Tranlin, Inc.) to lead permit acquisition and provide design services for its new $2-billion manufacturing plant in Chesterfield, Virginia. The plant represents Vastly’s first investment in North America and the single largest Chinese greenfield economic-development project in the U.S.
Under the terms of the agreement, Jacobs is responsible for supporting permit acquisition and developing the overall site design, which includes pulping facilities, tissue making and fertilizer production using Vastly’s proprietary technology. When complete, the plant will convert wheat straw into paper products and utilize residual nutrient streams to produce soil amendments.