Johannesburg - South African energy and chemicals group Sasol today announced that it has chosen the southwestern region of the State of Louisiana as the site for a planned gas-to-liquids (GTL) facility. The project is slated to be the first plant in the U.S. to produce GTL transportation fuels and other products.

 
In a press conference today with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Sasol Managing Director: New Business Development Ernst Oberholster said, “We believe Sasol’s proprietary GTL technology can help unlock the potential of Louisiana’s clean and abundant natural gas resources and contribute to an affordable, reliable and high quality fuel supply for the United States.”
 
“GTL fuels are an important part of the energy mix because they can advance energy independence in a way that is both cost-efficient and environmentally friendly,” said Oberholster. In addition, unlike other proposed alternatives to conventional petroleum-based fuels, GTL fuel is used in existing vehicles and fuel delivery infrastructure without modifications.
 
Sasol will embark on a feasibility study to evaluate the viability of a GTL venture in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, over the next 18 months. The feasibility study will consider two options of a two million tons per annum and a four million tons per annum facility.
 
This is the second “first of a kind” announced by Sasol in the U.S. in less than a year: In December 2010, Sasol announced the world’s first Ethylene Tetramerization Unit, also to be built in Calcasieu Parish.
 
About GTL & Sasol
 
For over 60 years Sasol has used its proprietary technology to produce more than 1.6 billion barrels of liquid fuels and chemicals from coal and natural gas.
 
GTL transportation fuel is cleaner burning than conventional diesel with a comparable, and potentially lower, greenhouse gas profile. GTL fuels are virtually free of sulfur and aromatic compounds and reduce emissions of particulates, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and other pollutants and will improve air quality. A 2005 PricewaterhouseCoopers study showed that GTL production offers substantial air quality benefits compared to an oil refinery due to its lower sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbon emissions.
 
Sasol Limited
 
Sasol is a technology-driven alternative fuels and chemicals company; was formed in 1950 in Sasolburg and celebrated 60 years of operations in 2010.
 
Sasol converts gas and coal into liquid fuels, fuel components and chemicals through our proprietary Fischer-Tropsch processes. We mine coal in South Africa and produce gas in Mozambique and oil in Gabon, and have chemical manufacturing and marketing operations in South Africa, Europe, Asia and America.
 
We are focused on commercializing our Gas –to-liquids (GTL) and Coal-to-Liquids (CTL) technology internationally. In partnership with Qatar Petroleum we started our first international GTL plant, Oryx GTL, in 2007. Sasol is also exploring GTL opportunities in Uzbekistan.
 
We continue to advance our upstream oil and gas activities in Mozambique, Nigeria, Gabon; Australia, Papua New Guinea, Canada and South Africa.
 
Sasol operates in 38 countries and employs about 33 000 people. We are listed on the JSE Limited in South Africa and on the New York Stock Exchange in the United States of America.