Sasol's Wax Expansion Project Phase I Successfully Commissioned

JOHANNESBURG, June 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Phase I of Sasol's Fischer-Tropsch Wax Expansion Project (FTWEP) has been successfully commissioned at its Sasolburg Operations in South Africa.

"This is a significant milestone and we are very pleased with this development. It marks another step towards expanding our Southern African operations as part of our dual regional strategy, while demonstrating our commitment to South Africa through industrial investment," said Bernard Klingenberg, Executive Vice President, Southern African Operations, Sasol Limited.

Commenting on the scale of the project, Stephan Schoeman, Executive Vice President, Group Technology, Sasol Limited, said: "Phase I of the expansion of our wax facility in Sasolburg saw 31 million hours worked with an exceptional safety record. Resourced by 450 engineers and with approximately 5 500 construction workers on site, we erected 7200 tons of steel and used nearly 600 kilometres of piping."

Phase II of FTWEP has commenced with major construction activity already underway and is expected to be commissioned in the first half of the 2017 calendar year. The entire project will see Sasol invest R13,6 billion in the South African economy.

Marketed through Sasol Performance Chemicals, hard waxes, medium waxes, liquid paraffins and waxy oils are applied to a variety of industrial applications. Hard waxes are used in hotmelt adhesives, PVC processing, inks, paints and coatings, and asphalt applications; medium waxes are used in candle markets and emulsions in the manufacturing of construction boards.

Notes to editors: 

Pictures available on request.

Project statistics:

• In excess of 31 million hours were worked;
• The project achieved a safety record with a Recordable Case Rate of 0.15 as at end April 2015;
• The project was resourced by 450 engineers;
• Approximately 22,000 isometric drawings were created;
• 904 pieces of mechanical equipment were installed;
• 7,200 tons of steel erected in the construction of the various plants;
• Approximately 580 kilometres of piping and over 1,000 kilometres of cable were used;
• 1,200 tie-ins were executed into existing plants; and
• During peak construction, there were 49 service providers and approximately 5,500 construction workers on site.

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About Sasol:

Sasol is an international integrated energy and chemicals company that leverages the talent and expertise of our more than 32 400 people working in 37 countries. We develop and commercialise technologies, and build and operate world-scale facilities to produce a range of high-value product streams, including liquid fuels, chemicals and low-carbon electricity.

Issued by:

Alex Anderson, Head of Group Media Relations
Direct telephone +27(11)441-3295; Mobile +27(0)71-600-9605;
alex.anderson@sasol.com