Sasol Orders New Reactor As Part of Synfuels Expansion to Meet SA Growing Demand for Fuel
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Sasol today confirmed that it had awarded a contract to Japanese manufacturer, Hitachi Zosen Mechanical Corporation (HMC), a wholly- owned subsidiary of Hitachi Zosen Corporation, to construct a Sasol Advanced Synthol (SAS) reactor.
The new SAS reactor is needed for Sasol to increase its 150 000 barrel a day (b/d) synthetic fuels operation at Secunda in South Africa by 20% to 180,000 b/d by 2015. Sasol uses it’s advanced Synthol reactors to produce synthesis gas which is converted into a large range of valuable liquid fuels and chemical products.
“Sasol supplies about 35% of South Africa’s liquid fuel needs. The Secunda expansion project will help us meet major growth opportunities in both our domestic and international markets. We will use both natural gas and coal as feedstock to produce our advanced range of synthetic transportation fuels,” says Sasol executive director Dr Benny Mokaba.
“We have constructed seven similar reactors for Sasol since 1998, and, as one of the leading reactor fabricators in the world, will continuously strive to supply high quality and effective equipment that enhances the development of clean and environmentally friendly new energy resources, ” says Hisao Matsuwake, president of HMC.
The SAS reactor will weigh about 867 tons, be 8m in diameter and about 12 stories (38m) tall. Sasol currently uses nine SAS reactors at Secunda. Sasol has designed and perfected these reactors to convert coal and natural gas into high quality synthetic transportation fuels such as petrol, diesel and jet fuel, as well as a range of chemicals.
“Innovation is core to our culture as exemplified by our proprietary coal- and gas-to-liquid conversion technology, where Sasol is recognised as a global leader. Our scientists have over the past 50 years evolved this synthetic transportation fuel technology to levels where South Africa can significantly reduce its dependence on crude oil,” says Mokaba.
The Sasol Investor Relations team Tel.: +27 11 441 3113 / 3563 / 3321 investor.relations@sasol.com
Sasol is an integrated oil and gas company with substantial chemical interests. Based in South Africa and operating worldwide, Sasol is listed on the NYSE and JSE stock exchanges. We are the leading provider of liquid fuels in South Africa and a major international producer of chemicals. Sasol uses proprietary Fischer-Tropsch technologies for the commercial production of synthetic fuels and chemicals from low-grade coal and natural gas. We manufacture more than 200 fuel and chemical products that are sold worldwide. In South Africa we also operate coal mines to provide feedstock for our synthetic fuels plants. Sasol operates the only inland crude oil refinery in South Africa. The group produces crude oil in offshore Gabon, supplies Mozambican natural gas to end-user customers and petrochemical plants in South Africa, and with partners involved in gas-to-liquids fuel joint ventures in Qatar and Nigeria. Internet address: http://www.sasol.com/
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CONTACT: The Sasol Investor Relations team, +27-11-441-3113,+27-11-441-3563, +27-11-441-3321, investor.relations@sasol.com
Web site: http://www.sasol.com/