Sasol
A South African integrated energy and chemicals company built around coal-to-liquids, gas-to-liquids and Fischer–Tropsch technologies.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Sasol Limited is a South African integrated energy and chemicals company headquartered in Sandton. It was established in 1950 as the South African Coal, Oil and Gas Corporation, reflecting its original purpose: converting South Africa’s abundant but relatively low-value coal resources into liquid fuels and other useful products. The company’s name derives from the Afrikaans abbreviation for that original corporate name. Sasol’s industrial base developed in Sasolburg and later expanded substantially around Secunda, where coal mining, gasification, synthesis and product upgrading were combined into one large production system. The company’s technological foundation is the Fischer–Tropsch process, a method for converting synthesis gas into hydrocarbons. Sasol adapted and commercialized coal-to-liquids technology using expertise and process rights associated with earlier German and international research. This capability became particularly important in South Africa during the period when the country sought greater domestic energy security and faced restrictions on access to imported crude and refined products. Sasol 1 began producing synthetic fuels in the 1950s, while the Sasol 2 and Sasol 3 complexes came into operation around 1980 and 1982, respectively. Over time, Sasol expanded beyond fuels. The Fischer–Tropsch product stream provided feedstocks for chemicals, while the company added downstream manufacturing and purpose-built chemical facilities. Its portfolio has included gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, naphtha, liquefied petroleum gas, illuminating paraffin, bitumen and fuel oil, as well as ammonia, methanol, olefins, alcohols, polymers, solvents, surfactants, co-monomers, phenolics, waxes, acrylates, sulphur and specialty materials. These products serve markets such as agriculture, detergents, coatings, adhesives, plastics, printing, electronics, personal care, transport and industrial manufacturing. Sasol also operates coal mines and has historically used coal as the primary feedstock for its South African synfuels and chemicals complexes. Its Secunda mining and processing system is associated with one of the world’s largest underground coal-mining operations. As older mines approach the end of their production lives, the group has advanced mine-replacement and modernization projects. Beyond coal, Sasol has developed or managed oil and gas interests and uses natural gas as a feedstock for gas-to-liquids and chemicals production. Parts of the Sasolburg system have also introduced gas-based reforming as a replacement for older coal-gasification arrangements. Internationally, Sasol operates through energy and chemicals businesses across Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania. Its technology portfolio has supported gas-to-liquids projects, including operations and projects associated with Qatar, Nigeria and Uzbekistan. The company has also made major chemicals investments in the United States, including a large ethane cracker and derivatives complex in Louisiana. Its international expansion has increased chemicals capacity and geographic reach, but has also exposed Sasol to construction, financing, commodity-price and execution risks. Sasol is a major South African industrial employer, taxpayer and energy supplier. It is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and has also been listed in New York. The company remains closely associated with synthetic fuels and coal conversion while seeking to reposition itself as a broader energy and chemicals group. Its current strategic challenge is to balance the economic importance of its coal-based South African operations with pressure from regulators, investors and society to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Sasol has announced a 2030 emissions-reduction target and has discussed increasing renewable-energy procurement and lowering the carbon intensity of its feedstocks and operations.
History
Sasol emerged from South Africa’s early efforts to develop domestic liquid fuels from coal. The country possessed substantial coal reserves, but some of its coal had limited commercial value because of its ash content. During the 1920s and 1930s, South African researchers and government bodies examined overseas coal-conversion methods and considered whether synthetic oil, gasoline and diesel could improve national energy security. P. N. Lategan conducted influential research into the low-temperature carbonization of South African coal, while Etienne Rousseau later became an important technical figure and Sasol’s first managing director. After the Second World War, Anglovaal acquired rights connected with a Fischer–Tropsch coal-conversion method developed with M. W. Kellogg. The South African Coal, Oil and Gas Corporation was formally incorporated in 1950 as a state-owned enterprise. The first industrial complex, Sasol 1, was commissioned in Sasolburg in the mid-1950s. Its process combined coal mining, gasification, synthesis and product upgrading, allowing the company to manufacture liquid fuels from locally available resources rather than relying exclusively on imported crude oil. Sasol expanded its South African production base with the development of Sasol 2 and Sasol 3. Construction of Sasol 2 was completed around 1980, and Sasol 3 began production in 1982. The Secunda complexes became the center of the group’s large-scale coal-to-liquids system. Their development required advances in mining, gasification, catalysts and reactor engineering. Sasol initially used circulating fluidized-bed reactors, then developed fixed fluidized-bed designs and later slurry-phase technology. These changes increased reactor scale and improved the commercial potential of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. Coal mining became an essential part of the operating model. Sasol developed underground mines in the Secunda and Sasolburg areas and used room-and-pillar mining, continuous miners, longwall experience and specialized exploration methods. The company also introduced training and simulation technologies for mining operators. As older mines approached exhaustion, Sasol initiated mine-replacement programs intended to maintain feedstock supply for its synfuels and chemicals plants. During the 1960s, Sasol began selling chemical intermediates such as ammonia, styrene and butadiene. Ammonia supported the development of a fertilizer business, which later expanded into phosphate- and potassium-based products. Diversification helped reduce the company’s dependence on fuel margins, which were strongly affected by crude-oil prices. Sasol subsequently developed a large portfolio of base and performance chemicals, extracting and upgrading materials from the Fischer–Tropsch product slate and adding facilities for downstream and purpose-built chemical production. The company later expanded internationally through chemical operations and gas-to-liquids activities. Natural gas became an important feedstock in several operations, including parts of the Sasolburg system, where gas-based reforming replaced some older gasifiers. Sasol also developed international gas-to-liquids interests and undertook major chemical investments outside South Africa. A particularly ambitious project was the ethane cracker and derivatives complex near Lake Charles, Louisiana, which was approved as a major expansion of the company’s United States chemical capacity. Sasol’s development has also created substantial environmental and strategic pressures. Coal-based synthesis is carbon intensive, and the company has been identified as one of South Africa’s major greenhouse-gas emitters. In response to changing climate policy, investor expectations and energy economics, Sasol has discussed renewable-power procurement, lower-carbon feedstocks and a 2030 emissions-reduction target. The company therefore continues to operate at the intersection of energy security, coal conversion, industrial chemicals and the global transition toward lower-emissions production.
- 2025
Renewables and emissions strategy receives renewed emphasis
[1]Sasol discussed greater renewable-energy sourcing, a larger renewable-power target and continued efforts to reduce emissions by 2030.
- 2010
Slurry-phase technology supports international gas-to-liquids development
[1]Sasol slurry-phase distillate reactor technology became central to the company’s first large gas-to-liquids plant in Qatar.
- 2010
Approval of the Louisiana chemicals complex
[1]Sasol approved a major ethane cracker and derivatives project near Lake Charles, Louisiana, intended to expand its United States chemical production.
- 2000
Further reactor scale-up
[1]Sasol’s reactor engineering reached substantially larger fixed fluidized-bed designs, supporting higher Fischer–Tropsch throughput.
- 1994
Founding participation in the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa
[1]Sasol was among the founding members of the South African fuels-industry association established in 1994.
- 1990
Commercialization of larger fixed fluidized-bed reactors
[1]Sasol commercialized larger fixed fluidized-bed Fischer–Tropsch reactors, improving process scale and efficiency.
- 1982
Sasol 3 comes on stream
[1]A third major production site began operations and strengthened Sasol’s South African coal-to-liquids system.
- 1980
Sasol 2 is completed
[1]The second major synthetic-fuels complex was completed, expanding the company’s industrial capacity.
- 1960
Expansion into chemicals
[1]Sasol began commercializing chemical intermediates including ammonia, styrene and butadiene.
- 1954
Sasol 1 begins synthetic-fuel production
[1]The Sasol 1 site in Sasolburg was commissioned for production of synthetic fuels.
Products and positioning
An integrated energy and chemicals group specializing in Fischer–Tropsch conversion, synthetic fuels, coal and gas feedstocks, and downstream chemical manufacturing.
Energy · 1954
Synthetic fuels
Sasol’s signature offering is liquid fuel made through coal-to-liquids and gas-to-liquids routes based on Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. The portfolio includes diesel, gasoline, naphtha, kerosene or jet-fuel products, liquefied petroleum gas, illuminating paraffin, fuel oil and related hydrocarbon streams. Production integrates feedstock preparation, gasification or reforming, synthesis and upgrading.
Mining and feedstocks · 1950
Coal and mining feedstock
Sasol Mining operates coal mines that supply feedstock to the company’s South African synfuels and chemicals complexes. Coal is used primarily for gasification, with additional quantities supporting electricity and steam generation. Some coal has also been exported to external power-generation customers.
Chemicals · 1960
Base chemicals
The base-chemicals portfolio includes ammonia, methanol, olefins, polymers, solvents, alcohols, co-monomers, phenolics, sulphur and related intermediates. These materials are sold into agriculture, plastics, coatings, adhesives, printing, electronics and industrial manufacturing. In South Africa, much of the portfolio is integrated with the Fischer–Tropsch value chain.
Specialty chemicals · 1960
Performance chemicals
Sasol’s performance-chemicals activities include surfactants, surfactant intermediates, fatty alcohols, linear alkylbenzene, linear alpha olefins, petrolatum, paraffin and synthetic waxes, cresylic acids, acrylates, high-purity alumina and specialty gases. These products support detergents, personal care, oil-field services, coatings, electronics and other specialized applications.
Agricultural and industrial chemicals · 1964
Fertilizers and explosives
Ammonia production enabled Sasol to enter nitrogen fertilizers, followed by a wider fertilizer range containing phosphate and potassium nutrients. The group also supplies explosive-related products and is associated with low-density ammonium nitrate technology for mining and industrial uses.
Industrial technology · 1954
Fischer–Tropsch technology
Sasol develops and commercializes technologies for converting coal or natural gas into synthesis gas and then into liquid hydrocarbons and chemical feedstocks. Its technology development has included circulating fluidized-bed reactors, fixed fluidized-bed reactors and slurry-phase distillate reactors.
Controversies
2019
Sasol pledges further climate-strategy disclosure
Sasol pledged to provide more clarity on plans to reduce its environmental impact and said its long-term strategy would be released in November 2020. The report notes that the company produces greenhouse gases and pollutants and was under pressure from environmental activists and investors to improve its climate performance.
Brand decisions
2025
Increase renewable-energy sourcingStrategyBackground
Sasol’s coal-based operations face pressure from greenhouse-gas regulation, climate concerns and changing investor expectations.
Action taken
The company discussed sourcing more renewable power, offsetting part of its coal-feedstock use and increasing its renewable-energy target to approximately 2,000 megawatts.
Aftermath
The measures form part of Sasol’s stated effort to reduce emissions by 2030 while maintaining its industrial operations.
2010
Approve the Louisiana ethane-cracking and derivatives projectStrategyBackground
Sasol sought to expand its international chemicals platform and use competitively priced United States ethane feedstock.
Action taken
The company approved a major petrochemicals complex near Lake Charles, Louisiana, including an ethane cracker and downstream derivatives facilities.
Aftermath
The project was positioned as a transformational expansion of Sasol’s United States chemical capacity and as a major foreign investment in Louisiana.
Approved project investment. US$11 billion (At project approval)
1960
Diversify from fuels into chemicalsStrategyBackground
Fuel profitability was exposed to crude-oil prices and other external market forces.
Action taken
Sasol began commercializing chemical intermediates and later expanded into fertilizers, polymers, solvents, surfactants and specialty chemicals.
Aftermath
The company developed from a primarily synthetic-fuels producer into an integrated energy and chemicals group with a broad product portfolio.
1950
Establish a domestic coal-to-liquids industryStrategyBackground
South Africa sought to extract greater energy value from domestic coal and reduce dependence on imported liquid fuels.
Action taken
The state established Sasol as an integrated organization combining coal supply, gasification, Fischer–Tropsch synthesis and fuel production.
Aftermath
The decision created the industrial and technological foundation for Sasol’s later energy and chemicals businesses.
Recent events
Sasol and NRF sign research cooperation agreements[3]
Reported:
Sasol, through its Foundation and Research & Technology function, signed two cooperation agreements with South Africa's National Research Foundation to sponsor and support science and engineering researchers and research.
- Unconfirmed
Sasol lowers FY2022 coal export guidance[4]
Reported:
Sasol revised down its coal export guidance for the 2022 financial year, citing a temporary production stoppage at one of its mines and bottlenecks in South Africa's rail network.
Sasol and Mpumalanga government launch vaccination drive[5]
Sasol's Secunda operation partnered with the Mpumalanga government to launch a five-day Covid-19 vaccination drive, starting July 26, for about 20,000 people, including Sasol employees and contractors' employees.
Sasol agrees to sell its sodium cyanide business to Draslovka[6]
Sasol entered into an agreement to sell its sodium cyanide business in Sasolburg to Draslovka Holding Company for R1.46-billion. The deal was subject to regulatory approvals and was expected to be completed in the first half of the following year.
Air Liquide completes acquisition of Secunda oxygen-production units[7]
Reported:
Air Liquide finalized its acquisition from Sasol of 16 air separation units at Secunda, South Africa, and will operate the site.
Toyota and Sasol announce hydrogen mobility partnership[8]
Reported:
Toyota and Sasol announced a plan to develop a green hydrogen-powered mobility ecosystem in South Africa, including a mobility corridor and a demonstration project using the N3 freight route.
Sasol and Toyota South Africa Motors partner on hydrogen truck pilot[9]
Reported:
Sasol and Toyota South Africa Motors partnered to develop a pilot project for hydrogen-powered heavy-duty long-haul trucks in South Africa. Toyota South Africa Motors is expected to lead investigation of the truck introduction, while Sasol will support with infrastructure expertise.
Sasol announces sale of stakes in three US units[10]
Reported:
Sasol announced the sale of 50% stakes in three US units to LyondellBasell, with the units to form part of a 50/50 joint venture.
Air Liquide enters exclusive talks to acquire Sasol's Secunda oxygen plant[11]
Reported:
Sasol signed an exclusive negotiation agreement to sell its oxygen plant in Secunda, South Africa, to Air Liquide. The acquisition had not yet been completed; the parties aimed to negotiate final agreements in the following months, subject to relevant approvals.
Sasol announces organisational shake-up[12]
Reported:
Sasol said it had resolved on an organisational shake-up that would result in two core businesses, focused on chemicals and energy.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Sources16 sources
- 1Sasolen.wikipedia.org
- 2Sasol pledges further climate-strategy disclosureengineeringnews.co.za
- 3Sasol与NRF签署研究合作协议iol.co.za
- 4Sasol 下调 2022 财年煤炭出口指引iol.co.za
- 5Sasol与姆普马兰加省政府启动疫苗接种行动engineeringnews.co.za
- 6Sasol同意将氰化钠业务出售给Draslovkaengineeringnews.co.za
- 7Air Liquide完成收购Secunda制氧装置chemengonline.com
- 8丰田与萨索尔宣布氢能出行合作business-standard.com
- 9Sasol与丰田南非汽车公司合作开发氢能卡车试点项目iol.co.za
- 10Sasol宣布出售其三个美国业务单位的股权dailymaverick.co.za
- 11液化空气集团就收购萨索尔塞昆达制氧厂展开独家谈判finance.sina.com.cn
- 12Sasol宣布组织调整dailydispatch.co.za
- 13Sasol暂停Natref炼厂生产并削减Secunda产量hydrocarbonprocessing.com
- 14亨斯迈完成收购萨索尔—亨斯迈合资企业剩余权益process-worldwide.com
- 15Czech-based Draslovka acquires Sasol’s sodium cyanide business for R1,46 bniol.co.za
- 16Sasol moves to cut jobs ahead of organisational shake-upsowetan.co.za
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