Samsung Engineering Co. said Friday that it has secured a US$80 million order to design plants for a major Mexican oil refiner, thanks to its proven track record in large construction projects.

The South Korean industrial plant builder said it plans to complete the order placed by Mexico's state-run oil refiner, Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), by September 2015.

The Mexican refiner is pushing to build a refinery with a daily production capacity of 38,000 tons of ultra low sulphur diesel in the Salamanca region, located some 250 kilometers northwest of Mexico City and expand the daily production capacity of its existing refinery to 53,000 tons.

"The winning of the project comes from the trust Samsung Engineering earned in fulfilling its obligations since it entered the Mexican market in 1999," a company insider said.

He said with the latest deal, the builder is seeking a long-term partnership with PEMEX, which is one of the top 10 oil refiners in the world. (Yonhap)