Sasol, the multinational South African-based petrochemical company, has embarked on a symbolic journey through Africa. The Sasol Chevron GTL Challenge – which will see 12 people journey from Sasolburg, South Africa to Doha, Qatar, over the next six weeks – symbolises the start of Sasol's journey to providing alternative, cleaner fuels to global markets.

 

One of the vehicles, a standard Toyota Hilux Raider, is being fuelled from beginning to end with gas-to-liquids (GTL) diesel fuel from Sasol's plant in Sasolburg. The plan is to reach Doha in early June for the official opening of the US$950 million Oryx GTL manufacturing plant, a Sasol Limited and Qatar Petroleum joint venture.

 

Along the way they will be supported by the South African Department of Foreign Affairs and South African embassies.

 

Sasol CE Pat Davies, speaking at a farewell function for the expedition at Kyalami earlier today, said: “We at Sasol, together with our adventurers on this trek, embrace this challenge fully confident that our advanced fuel will pass with flying colours. We want to show the world that our GTL diesel fuel meets and exceeds every performance standard achieved by conventional oil derived diesel, while burning substantially cleaner.”

 

Sasol is proud to be able to export the world's most advanced diesel technology to sophisticated markets to the north, said Davies. These markets are making ever increasing demands on global energy producers for cleaner burning fuels that are less harmful to the environment. “Now, with the next exciting challenge of commercialising GTL diesel in Europe and elsewhere, our customers there can also trust in GTL diesel the way we do,” said Davies.

 

“We are proving that technologies developed in Africa can provide innovative global solutions,” said Davies, emphasising the African continent's growing influence on the world's energy industry. “As a proud and patriotic South African company with a growing international footprint, Sasol is pleased to be able to be contributing toward alleviating the global energy challenge. In line with the objectives of NEPAD (New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development), our technology can help meet global demands for cleaner, more reliable and affordable energy supply,” said Davies.

 

The expedition is a fitting curtain raiser to the official opening of the Oryx plant. “All of us at Sasol, together with our partners in the South African government and embassies, Qatar Petroleum, Sasol Chevron, Chevron and Toyota will be following the expedition with great interest. We look forward to meeting them again in Doha,” said Davies.

 

Oryx GTL plant will produce environmentally-friendly, high performance diesel using Sasol's proven technology

 

A joint venture between Sasol (49%) and The State of Qatar's petroleum company Qatar Petroleum (51%), Oryx GTL is the first low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch GTL plant outside South Africa dedicated to the production of new generation GTL diesel. The plant will use Sasol's proprietary Fischer-Tropsch technology. Sasol Chevron – the London-based joint venture between Sasol and US oil giant Chevron Corporation – will start marketing the high-quality, environmentally-friendly GTL diesel in Europe later this year.

 

GTL diesel dovetails neatly into tighter environmental controls and increased diesel demand and consumption in many parts of the world. In markets such as the US, Europe, Japan and Australia the maximum permissible sulphur content in diesel has plummeted from 5,000 parts per million (ppm) 15 years ago to as little as 10 ppm today. “Our GTL diesel has a sulphur content of less than 5 parts per million and has been developed entirely here at our facilities in South Africa. It provides superior performance to diesel engines while substantially reducing harmful emissions,” said Davies.

 

He added: “I warmly thank our partner Qatar Petroleum for helping us nurture what we have developed in South Africa into what will be the world's largest and most technologically advanced GTL plant, namely Oryx GTL. Their confidence in our technology has been inspiring.”

 

The Oryx GTL plant will, over the next few months, scale up to convert gas from the North Field in the Gulf into 34,000 barrels per day (bpd) of liquid hydrocarbons (mainly GTL diesel). In partnership with Sasol Chevron and Qatar Petroleum, the intention is to increase the existing capacity of the plant to about 100,000 bpd. The partners are also exploring building an integrated GTL plant with a capacity of about 130,000 bpd in future.

 

Common to all these investments is Sasol's proven commercial experience in producing synthetic fuels. GTL technology is a step within the proven coal-to-liquids (CTL) technology that Sasol has perfected in South Africa. In fact today, Sasol is world renowned for operating the only world-scale coal-based synthetic fuel manufacturing facility in Secunda, south east of Johannesburg. The Secunda plant produces 160,000 bpd of fuel from coal.

 

It is this process technology acumen and commercial expertise that has made Sasol strategically important to South Africa. Sasol supplies almost 40% of the country's liquid fuel needs, provides direct and indirect employment to about 170,000 people, contributes about R40bn annually to GDP and saves the country almost R30bn a year foreign exchange.

 

“Having produced liquid fuels with an oil equivalent of more than 1,5-billion barrels, we at Sasol are recognised world leaders in Fischer-Tropsch synthetic liquid fuel production. No other company has more than 50 years of proven commercial experience in this field. We believe the Oryx GTL plant will pave the way for developing substantial new GTL capacity in Qatar and other gas-rich regions. At a time when an ever-increasing number of countries are looking for greater diversity and security of energy supply, GTL plants make good strategic, economic and environmental sense,” said Davies.

 

GTL is set to grow in the rest of the world as countries look for energy alternatives

 

Sasol's technology will also be used at Escravos in Nigeria, where natural gas is currently being flared. The Escravos GTL (EGTL) plant is currently in the engineering, procurement and construction phase and is expected to be functioning within three years.

 

Other countries such as Australia have also shown interest in Sasol's GTL technology.

 

“Sasol is geared to develop a global GTL business producing about 450,000 bpd along with our partners within the next ten years,” said Davies. “I have no doubt that GTL products will, in time, significantly influence the world energy situation by providing a viable alternative to crude-oil refining.”

 

Sasol's strategy is to move away from the current global energy model of mere extraction and shipment of resources from energy rich countries and communities to outside markets. “We want to add value to the energy resources of a country before these are exported. In this way technology is transferred and wealth and jobs are created. Furthermore, we want to provide the world with alternatives – both for consumers and producers of energy,” said Davies.

 

“This trip is merely the start of our global journey,” he concluded.

 

For regular updates of the Sasol Chevron GTL Challenge go to www.sasolchevron.com/GTLchallenge

 

The Sasol Chevron GTL Challenge team	Sasol CE Pat Davies and expedition leader Ian Myburgh
Bidding the Sasol Chevron GTL Challenge team farewell	Ian Myburgh - expedition leader