Sasol lets contract for South African downstream assets

Sasol Ltd. has let a contract to John Wood Group PLC to serve as an engineering partner under a 5-year partnership framework agreement to support Sasol South Africa (Pty) Ltd.’s portfolio of assets—including its refining and chemicals businesses—across South Africa.

As part of the agreement, Wood will provide integrated services to Sasol ranging from feasibility studies and front-end engineering design through to engineering, procurement, and construction as part of Sasol’s plan to maximize efficiency and drive long-term sustainability of its operations, Wood said on Apr. 29.

Wood will execute yet-to-be-identified projects under the agreement from its South African regional office and on-site project teams with support from the service provider’s global capital projects and technical consulting teams.

A value of the contract was not disclosed.

Sasol’s South African downstream businesses include the Sasol-Total SA jointly owned National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa (Pty) Ltd. (Natref) 108,000-b/d refinery in Sasolburg, South Africa, as well as its wholly owned Secunda Synfuels Operations (SSO), which is the world’s only commercial coal-based synthetic fuels manufacturing site to synthesis gas (syngas) through coal gasification and natural gas reforming. Both the Natref and SSO operations have experienced interruptions amid reduced regional demand resulting from measures aimed at reducing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) (OGJ Online, Apr. 23, 2020).