South Africa's coal-reliant Sasol signs 289 MW wind power deals

Sasol

24/01/2023 08:58

HARARE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - South African petrochemical
firm Sasol  SOLJ.J  said on Tuesday it had signed three wind
power purchase deals as it shifts towards renewable energy to
meet its carbon emissions targets.
    The world's biggest producer of fuel products and chemicals
from coal is moving away from fossil fuels as part of its plan
to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
    Sasol said in a statement that it is partnering with French
gas company Air Liquide  AIRP.PA  to source 220 MW of renewable
power from two wind energy projects to be developed by Enel
Green Power, a unit of Italy-based Enel  ENEI.MI . 
    The two projects will supply power to Sasol's Secunda site,
where Air Liquide also has oxygen production operations.
    The 220 MW wind powered projects are scheduled to be
operational in 2025 and are part of a plan to procure 900MW
renewable energy for Secunda, Sasol said.
    "Sasol and Air Liquide's efforts to procure a total of 900
MW of renewable energy to decarbonise our respective operations
at Secunda is another step towards Sasol’s aim to procure 1,200
MW of renewable energy capacity from independent power producers
by 2030," said Priscillah Mabelane, Executive Vice President of
Sasol's Energy Business.
    Sasol also said it has signed a long-term agreement with
Msenge Emoyeni Wind Farm in the Eastern Cape for the supply of
69 MW of wind power to its Sasolburg chemicals manufacturing
operations, where it plans to produce green hydrogen.
    Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen
and oxygen using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind
and is considered a potentially cleaner future energy source.
    The Msenge wind power project is expected to start
delivering energy in the first quarter of 2024. 
 (Reporting by Nelson Banya; Editing by Alexander Smith)
 ((Nelson.Banya@thomsonreuters.com;))