Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. in Pasadena has signed a $50 million contract to design a sulfuric acid plant in British Columbia, Canada.

The customer, Teck Metals Ltd., has two aging sulfuric acid plants at the site. By replacing them with the Jacobs-designed plant, Teck expects to improve operating reliability, reduce maintenance costs and improve environmental compliance. The plant is part of Teck’s zinc and lead smelting operation.

In addition to designing the plant, Jacobs will supply its proprietary Chemetics brand equipment for acid processing. Most of the Chemetics equipment will be fabricated at Jacobs’ facility in Pickering, Ontario.

In a statement, Jacobs Group Vice President Andy Kremer said the company has worked with Teck for years on a variety of projects and is “delighted that Teck has selected our technology for its new acid plant.”

By late Tuesday morning, shares of Jacobs fell $1.22 or 3 percent to trade at $45.65 on the New York Stock Exchange.