WOOD has won a multi-million dollar contract in the US to build a plant that will turn waste materials into products such as jet fuel.

The Aberdeen-based engineering giant will provide construction and mechanical services for IR1 Group on the Red Rock Biofuels facility in Lakeview, in the west coast state of Oregon.

Wood said the plant will convert waste woody biomass into renewable jet, diesel and gasoline blendstock fuels.

It is expected to turn over 136,000 tons of waste woody biomass into 15.1 million gallons of renewable fuels each year.

Andrew Stewart, who runs the division that will work on the contract, said the facility would make an important contribution to the effort to reduce harmful emissions by boosting the production of renewable, low-carbon fuels.

Led by chief executive Robin Watson, Wood has been trying to win more work on facilities such as refineries and petrochemicals plants amid a drive to reduce its reliance on the North Sea oil services market. This was hit hard by the slowdown in activity triggered by the crude price plunge from 2014.

Last month Wood won a $8m contract to help design a massive oil refinery that will be built in Abu Dhabi.

Wood gained exposure to a wider range of engineering markets, including environmental and nuclear, through the £2.2 billion acquisition of Amec Foster Wheeler in 2017.

The group will publish its results for 2018 next week.