-Six units now online comprise more than 86% of LCCP's total output 

    Sasol today announced that the Guerbet alcohol unit at our Lake Charles 
Chemicals Project (LCCP) achieved beneficial operations on 19 June 2020. This 
follows three days after achieving beneficial operations on the Ziegler alcohol 
unit, bringing the online capacity of LCCP's specialty chemicals units to 100 
percent and LCCP's total online nameplate capacity to 86 percent. 

    The beneficial operations of these LCCP facilities progresses Sasol's 
seven-unit U.S. Gulf Coast mega project to the cusp of completion," said Sasol 
President and Chief Executive Officer, Fleetwood Grobler. "The additional 
capacity strengthens Sasol's leadership position in the specialty alcohol and 
alumina markets, which is core to the company's Chemicals growth strategy."

    "Our investment in Lake Charles – including the additional ethoxylation 
capacity that began operation in January 2020 – combined with the startup of 
our new ethoxylation unit in Nanjing, China in 2019, strengthens our existing 
asset base," said Sasol Executive Vice President: Chemicals Business, Brad 
Griffith. 

    "With this expansive global footprint, we continue aligning our business 
with powerful global megatrends to identify high-value growth opportunities we 
can support with our unique chemistries. These megatrends underpin our strategy 
of providing solutions to a growing and urbanising middle class focused on 
health, hygiene and sustainability. Through collaborative innovation with our 
customers, we are committed to developing sustainable solutions which form a 
part of the developing circular economy," said Mr Griffith.

    The Ziegler and Guerbet alcohols expand Sasol's position in having the 
broadest integrated alcohols and surfactants portfolio in the world. Sasol is a 
recognised leader in chemicals for essential care markets such as laundry, home 
care, personal care and hygiene. 

    Sasol is also well-positioned to offer specialty, performance-based 
chemicals and tailor-made solutions to customers in a wide range of industrial 
applications including agrochemicals, abrasives, metalworking and lubrication, 
oil and gas, automotive, and paints and coatings.

    The LCCP Ziegler unit is an extension of the existing Ziegler plant in Lake 
Charles and is the largest of its kind in the world adding nameplate capacity 
of 173,000 tons per year (173 ktpa) of alcohol and 32,000 tons (32 ktpa) of 
alumina. This addition strengthens Sasol's significant economies of scale, 
leveraging the company's deep technical and operating experience. 

    The Ziegler unit supplements Sasol's global production of alcohols and 
aluminas, adding to existing Ziegler capacity in both Lake Charles and 
Brunsbuettel, Germany. The unit is the most technically complex of the units in 
the LCCP and is based on Sasol's proprietary technology. Benefited by the most 
modern technology and years of experience with this unique process, the Ziegler 
unit started up smoothly, within market guidance through the sterling efforts 
of our project and operations teams.

    The additional alumina capacity from the Ziegler unit will enable Sasol to 
supply the increasing market demand for tailor-made, high purity alumina 
products used in a variety of market applications such as catalysts, films, 
ceramics and abrasives. The expansion will support the growth aspirations of 
customers requiring Sasol's unique alkoxide based alumina products.  

    Sasol's new Guerbet unit on the U.S. Gulf Coast is the company's second 
Guerbet alcohol production site; the other is also located in Brunsbuettel. The 
unit in Lake Charles is the largest Guerbet alcohol plant in the world and has 
a nameplate capacity of 30,000 tons per year (30 ktpa).

    The Guerbet unit is a two-fold scale-up of Sasol's proprietary technology 
used in Brunsbuettel. The project and operations teams from both Lake Charles 
and Brunsbuettel worked exceedingly well to bring the Guerbet unit onstream 
without problems. The positioning of Sasol's Guerbet alcohol production sites 
in Europe and North America is unrivaled and provides our customers with 
expanded access to a more efficient and sustainable global supply chain.

    The last remaining unit to come online at LCCP will be the low density 
polyethylene (LDPE) plant. This is on track for beneficial operations by the 
end of September 2020, as per previous guidance.  At the end of May 2020, the 
LCCP capital expenditure was tracking the previously communicated guidance of 
US$12,8 billion.

    To date, the LCCP has generated more than 800 full-time quality 
manufacturing jobs, with up to 6,500 people on site during construction, with 
nearly US$4 billion spend on construction to Louisiana businesses and nearly 
US$200 million paid in local and state taxes.

    About Sasol:

    Sasol is a global integrated chemicals and energy company. Through our 
talented people, we safely and sustainably create superior value for our 
customers, shareholders and other stakeholders. We integrate sophisticated 
technologies in world-scale operating facilities to produce and commercialise 
commodity and specialised chemicals, gaseous and liquid fuels, and lower-carbon 
electricity.

    Issued by:

    In South Africa:

    Alex Anderson
    Senior Manager: Group External Communication
    Direct telephone: +27 (0) 10-344-6509; Mobile: +27 (0) 71-600-9605;
    alex.anderson@sasol.com 

    In the U.S.:

    Kim Cusimano
    North American Operations Corporate Affairs
    Direct telephone: +1 (225) 776-0758
    kim.cusimano@us.sasol.com 



    Source: Sasol Limited