Sasol Stream
South Africa’s petrochemical giant, Sasol, plans to drill its first exploration wells in Mozambique’s onshore PT5-C field and offshore A5-A area in the first quarter of next year, a company presentation revealed at Africa Oil Week held in Cape Town last week. Rumours are abound that they want to export the gas to South Africa to supply Eskom’s planned 3000MW gas to power plant. Read more
South Africa gas pipeline network plan. Image credit: @SasolSA Twitter
Flouting environmental laws
In South Africa the National Prosecuting Authority has served Sasol with a summons instituting criminal proceedings. The charges relate to historical aspects of environmental management at its Secunda Operations. The summons follows an investigation by the National Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI), as an agency of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). Sasol fully cooperated with the authorities in this investigation.The first appearance in the matter was in the Secunda Magistrate’s Court on 20 September 2022. The matter was postponed to 13 January 2023 for further investigation by the State.
Carbon capture
The Netherlands-based Centre for Energy Innovation of the University of Twente in Enschede, and Sasol Research and Technology (R&T) have expressed the intent to join forces in the development of technologies for the removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Sasol R&T also has a regional office in Enschede. The University of Twente is developing a mission-driven programme that focusses on Negative Emission Technologies: recovering carbon dioxide that is present in the atmosphere as a result of emissions in the past. The science and technology under development needs rapid translation towards real-life application.
The application domain is both in reducing industrial emissions, sustainable CO2 utilisation and storage as well as in Negative Emission Technologies by Direct Air Capture. This collaboration should allow faster innovation than using a sequential approach, thereby providing a strong basis for bringing climate ambitions within reach.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
