Sasol Announces Feasibility Study to Build the First U.S. Gas-to-Liquids Facility

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Sep 13, 2011, 01:21 ET

JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- South African energy and chemicals group Sasol today announced that it has chosen the southwestern region of the State of Louisiana as the site for a planned gas-to-liquids (GTL) facility. The project is slated to be the first plant in the U.S. to produce GTL transportation fuels and other products.

In a press conference today with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Sasol Managing Director: New Business Development Ernst Oberholster said, "We believe Sasol's proprietary GTL technology can help unlock the potential of Louisiana's clean and abundant natural gas resources and contribute to an affordable, reliable and high quality fuel supply for the United States."

"GTL fuels are an important part of the energy mix because they can advance energy independence in a way that is both cost-efficient and environmentally friendly," said Oberholster. In addition, unlike other proposed alternatives to conventional petroleum-based fuels, GTL fuel is used in existing vehicles and fuel delivery infrastructure without modifications.

Sasol will embark on a feasibility study to evaluate the viability of a GTL venture in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, over the next 18 months. The feasibility study will consider two options of a two million tons per annum and a four million tons per annum facility. The project could create up to 850 permanent positions and up to approximately 5,500 jobs during peak construction periods.

This is the second "first of a kind" announced by Sasol in the U.S. in less than a year: In December 2010, Sasol announced the world's first Ethylene Tetramerization Unit, also to be built in Calcasieu Parish.

About GTL & Sasol
For over 60 years Sasol has used its proprietary technology to produce more than 1.6 billion barrels of liquid fuels and chemicals from coal and natural gas.

GTL transportation fuel is cleaner burning than conventional diesel with a comparable, and potentially lower, greenhouse gas profile. GTL fuels are virtually free of sulfur and aromatic compounds and reduce emissions of particulates, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and other pollutants and will improve air quality. A 2005 PricewaterhouseCoopers study showed that GTL production offers substantial air quality benefits compared to an oil refinery due to its lower sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbon emissions.

Sasol Limited:
Sasol is a technology-driven alternative fuels and chemicals company; was formed in 1950 in Sasolburg and celebrated 60 years of operations in 2010.

Sasol converts gas and coal into liquid fuels, fuel components and chemicals through our proprietary Fischer-Tropsch processes. We mine coal in South Africa and produce gas in Mozambique and oil in Gabon, and have chemical manufacturing and marketing operations in South Africa, Europe, Asia and America.

We are focused on commercializing our Gas-to-liquids (GTL) and Coal-to-Liquids (CTL) technology internationally. In partnership with Qatar Petroleum we started our first international GTL plant, Oryx GTL, in 2007. Sasol is also exploring GTL opportunities in Uzbekistan.

We continue to advance our upstream oil and gas activities in Mozambique, Nigeria, Gabon, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Canada and South Africa.

Sasol operates in 38 countries and employs about 33 000 people. We are listed on the JSE Limited in South Africa and on the New York Stock Exchange in the United States of America.

Website: www.sasol.com

Disclaimer – Forward-looking statements
The information contained in this release is of a nature and quality ordinarily expected in information that has been developed and produced at the pre-feasibility stage of a project. Accordingly, the information may change as a result of further work undertaken during the feasibility stages (and possibly thereafter).

In this document we make certain statements that are not historical facts and relate to analyses and other information which are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. These statements may also relate to our future prospects, developments and business strategies. Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding exchange rate fluctuations, volume growth, increases in market share, total shareholder return and cost reductions. Words such as "believe", "anticipate", "expect", "intend", "seek", "will", "plan", "could", "may", "endeavour" and "project" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and there are risks that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved. If one or more of these risks materialise, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. You should understand that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors are discussed more fully in our most recent annual report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on Form 20-F filed on 28 September 2010 and in other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The list of factors discussed therein is not exhaustive; when relying on forward-looking statements to make investment decisions, you should carefully consider both these factors and other uncertainties and events.

Forward-looking statements apply only as of the date on which they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Sasol Limited