- A consortium comprising TotalEnergies Renewables South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Mulilo Energy Holdings (Pty) Limited, and Reatile Renewables (Pty) Ltd (Reatile), has achieved Financial Close on an agreement to supply 260 MW of wind and solar PV energy to Sasol and Air Liquide at Sasol’s Secunda operations in South Africa through a wheeling agreement.
- Sasol relies on 1500MW of mainly coal and gas energy to power its Secunda Plant which is the biggest single point emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world.
- The petrochemicals giant, who has lost nearly 50% of their share value year to date, has been criticised over their failure to transition to green generation technologies. Read more
Sasol and Air Liquide Large Industries South Africa signed two Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) with TotalEnergies and Mulilo in February 2023 for the decarbonisation of Sasol’s Secunda site where Air Liquide operates the world’s largest oxygen production plant. The PPAs include Northern Cape based Mulilo De Aar 2 South Wind Farm, which will produce 140 MW and Paarde Valley, a 120 MW Solar PV plant. The targeted commercial operations date for both projects is end of 2026.
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Since 2021, Sasol has become South Africa’s largest private sector buyer of renewable energy. With renewable energy being a cornerstone of Sasol’s strategy, the company currently has 688 MW of renewable energy projects under construction with Air Liquide comprising, a large Free State based 97,5 MW solar project; the Impofu cluster, consisting of three onshore wind projects totalling 330 MW of wind renewable energy; and now Paarde Valley PV2 Solar PV Farm and the Mulilo De Aar 2 South Wind Farm, adding 120 MW and 140 MW respectively.
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Currently, Sasol has two renewable energy plants in operation which include Sasol’s own 3 MW solar PV facility in Sasolburg, operational since June 2023, and the 69 MW Msenge wind farm, which reached commercial operations in October 2024.
Image credit: JSE
Dr Sarushen Pillay, Executive Vice President of Sasol’s Business Building, Strategy and Technology Business said, “Sasol is committed to a responsible transition towards a sustainable future and this transaction is a further milestone in it progressing its renewable energy commitments and transition journey to a lower-carbon future. Our plans to meet our target of 1 200 MW of renewable energy, and beyond, by 2030, is moving at pace and in an advanced stage of development. Once operational, the projects will significantly contribute to Sasol achieving its 30% GHG reduction target by 2030.”
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
