Sasol fire heightens South Africa’s dependence on fuel imports
A fire that shut Sasol’s Natref oil refinery leaves South Africa with only one crude-processing plant running, highlighting a growing reliance on fuel imports.
The January 4 blaze at the facility — the nation’s only inland crude refinery — has caused concerns over jet-fuel supply to Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport, the continent’s biggest.
That’s prompting shippers to schedule fuel deliveries via pipelines and rail from neighbouring Mozambique to prevent shortages, Airports Company of South Africa said in a post on X.
Sasol wouldn’t confirm a date for a restart of the plant as assessments are under way, it said Tuesday. The Fuel Industry Association of South Africa expects the unit will be back online by February 21.
The 108 000-barrel-a-day plant represents 30% of South Africa’s normally operating refining capacity that comprises three plants and excludes another three facilities that have been shut in recent years. Accidents have halted some, while others require significant investment to manufacture cleaner products.
Besides Natref, only Glencore’s Astron Energy oil refinery in Cape Town and Sasol’s Secunda plant that makes synthetic fuels from coal and gas are operational.
Shutdowns have resulted in a growing reliance on shipments from abroad. The State-owned Central Energy Fund has applied to take over assets at the nation’s biggest fuel import terminal. TotalEnergies SE has also expressed interest in providing supply.
Sasol said it will provide an update on Natref operations next week.
Comments
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
BOVA cemented their reputation in Africa by delivering high quality engineering through their range of safety footwear. 21 years after producing...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Weir is a global leader in mining technology. We recognise that our planet’s future depends on the transition to renewable energy, and that...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
