South African chemical giant Sasol and French company Air Liquide are making progress on their joint project to decarbonise the Secunda industrial site. The two groups have just signed two power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the French energy company TotalEnergies and Mulilo Energy Holdings, an independent power producer (IPP) based in Cape Town, South Africa.
The contract covers the supply of 260 MW of renewable energy to the Secunda industrial site. The French multinational TotalEnergies is expected to participate in the project through its subsidiary Total Eren, which specialises in renewable energy production. Together with its partner Mulilo, Total will build a 140 MW wind farm and a 120 MWp solar photovoltaic plant. The electricity will be fed into the grid of the state-owned company Eskom.
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Located in the province of Mpumalanga, this industrial site houses a synthetic fuel plant belonging to Sasol. The South African giant uses coal liquefaction to produce synthetic crude oil. In Secunda, Air Liquide has completed the acquisition in 2021 of the world’s largest oxygen production site, equipped with 16 air separation units (ASUs). Both groups have committed to a decarbonisation plan through the development of 1,200 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
As part of this strategy, in January 2023, the two groups signed a PPA with Enel Green Power, the subsidiary of the Italian energy company Enel. Under this agreement, Enel will supply 220 MW of wind power to the Secunda industrial site. Enel will generate this electricity at several sites in the Eastern Cape.
“Together, these PPAs represent a total of 480 MW of Sasol’s and Air Liquide’s joint commitment to pursue renewable energy supply. This will significantly contribute to the decarbonisation of the Secunda site,” says Sasol. According to Sasol, the renewable energy plants of TotalEnergies and Mulilo Energy Holdings will be operational in 2025.
Jean Marie Takouleu