Sasol Inaugurates Plant to Boost Polyethylene Production

SASOLBURG, South Africa, January 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Today, Sasol Limited's Chief Executive Officer, David Constable, and the South African Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, inaugurated Sasol's new ethylene purification unit, known as the Ethylene Purification Unit 5 (EPU5), in Sasolburg.

Located at the Sasol Polymers Plant in Sasolburg, the R1.9 billion ethylene purification unit aims to address the growing demand for polyethylene material. The plant will also ensure better utilisation of Sasol's existing downstream polyethylene facilities.

In delivering his opening remarks at the official opening, David Constable said, "Through the installation of the new ethylene splitter, considerable production capacity has been freed up to produce more ethylene. In so doing, our investment in EPU5, together with a new compressor unit in Secunda, will provide the South African plastics manufacturing industry with an additional 47 000 tons of polyethylene annually."

EPU5 is already in operation phase. Half of the additional 47 000 tons of polyethylene will be reached within the next six months, while the plant is expected to reach full capacity by 2017.

"The South African plastics industry is a significant contributor to the national economy. Local demand for polyethylene polymers continues to grow at a rate of 4 to 5% annually. With a rise in new plant capacities and the need to be globally competitive, we recognised the necessity to expand both polymer and ethylene production," said Marinus Sieberhagen, Managing Director, Sasol Polymers.

The plant was also designed to reduce hydrocarbon flaring, which reduces the carbon footprint of Sasol's total ethylene production capacity in South Africa.

Local engineering and construction service providers were sub-contracted to execute significant portions of the work. This amounted to approximately 4,6 million man hours worked and resulted in all-important knowledge transfer and skills development in construction and advanced welding techniques.

"At the height of construction, we were able to create 1000 construction jobs, predominately sourced from the local community in Sasolburg. For us at Sasol, this project not only illustrates our unwavering focus on unlocking the full potential of our chemical assets, but it also demonstrates our commitment to our customers to ensure improved supply, and our belief in, and support for, the communities in which we live and work," said Constable.

Forward-looking statements: Sasol may, in this document, 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 9 October 2013 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.

About Sasol:

Committed to excellence in all we do, Sasol is an international integrated energy and chemical company that leverages the talent and expertise of our more than 35 000 people working in 37 countries. We develop and commercialise technologies, and build and operate world-scale facilities to produce a range of product streams, including liquid fuels, high-value chemicals and low-carbon electricity.

While remaining committed to our home-base of South Africa, Sasol is expanding internationally based on a unique value proposition.

Issued by:

Alex Anderson, Group Media Manager
Direct telephone +27(11)441-3295; Mobile +27(0)71-600-9605;
[email protected]

Jacqui O'Sullivan, GM: Group Communication
Direct telephone +27(11)441-3252; Mobile +27(0)82-883-9697;
[email protected]

SOURCE Sasol Limited