Linde AG has said it is close to securing an $800m contract to help build a plastics plant in Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg has reported. The company is within “a few weeks” of signing the deal to help build the acrylic-acid project in Jubail, Matthias Stein, the company’s Middle East general manager said. The plant is a $1.7bn joint venture between National Industrialization Co (Tasnee), Sahara Petrochemical Company and Dow Chemical Company. The project is due to start full production in 2013.