2022 Sasol Sustainability Report - Book - Page 58
SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE AGAINST OUR FOCUS AREAS
INTRODUCTION
DATA AND ASSURANCE
MANAGING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT (CONTINUED)
Water management (continued)
WHAT WE ARE DOING (CONTINUED)
Progress towards mine closure at Sigma Defunct Colliery,
Sasolburg
Enabling sustainable supply of water from the Integrated Vaal
River System (IVRS):
Enabling an adequate quality of water supplied from the IVRS:
RIVER WATER QUALITY
• In the past year, we faced challenges with the quality of water
supplied to SO. The primary source of this water is Grootdraai
Dam and its associated transfer system. Summer rainfalls
led to an improvement in the quality of water. However, we
expect this to deteriorate in the dry season and are exploring
a collaborative approach to resolving these challenges.
• Sasol is supporting a partnership with the Water Research
Commission and Rhodes University to address water quality
challenges in the Grootdraai Dam Catchment supplying water
to SO. The research will be used to identify and prioritise
intervention opportunities to improve water quality in
the catchment.
Sasol Mining’s Sigma Defunct Colliery operated between 1953 – 2005
and supplied coal to the Sasol Sasolburg Operations.
A Closure Application was submitted in 2009 to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy
(DMRE), Free State Region. Since then, Sasol Mining has embarked on further studies and
implemented a full comprehensive monitoring programme to fully identify the risk associated with
the mining operations to address all required actions to ensure sustainable closure can be achieved.
The more recent assessments undertaken – which included the development of impact prediction
models, updated water and salt balances, monitoring and updated risk assessments – have
provided more certainty with respect to how mining has had an influence on the overlying and
adjacent water resource.
To advance the formal closure of Sigma Defunct, Sasol Mining has engaged with the DMRE (Lead
Agent for Closure), The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS – Lead Agent for Water Aspects)
and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE – Commenting Authority).
These engagements were undertaken to discuss the management of water aspects post closure to
ensure the sustainable closure of Sigma Defunct, by following the Best Practise Guidelines (BPG)
– G4 Impact Prediction Process, which is a risk-based process. The relevant authorities, specifically
the DWS, which will be the lead authority for this process, have agreed to the application of the BPG
– G4 Process. Through this process, independent reviewer/s will be appointed to assess and review
all the applicable impact prediction models that have been compiled. The appointed independent
reviewer/s will provide DWS with recommendations and guidance with respect to appropriate
management options that can be agreed upon, with the aim of obtaining closure of Sigma Defunct.
FEATURE STORY
RIVER WATER
AVAILABILITY
• The IVRS continues to experience several pressing challenges
placing Sasol’s long-term supply at increased risk. Delays in
the implementation of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project
Phase 2, slow progress by municipalities in reducing water
losses and lack of progress in eradicating unlawful water use
are increasing the risk of restrictions being placed on users
of the IVRS. In the past year, this risk was reduced thanks to
above-average summer rainfall.
Preventing disruptions at critical pump stations due to
protest action:
COMMUNITY PROTEST
ACTION
• Community protest action over the last three years, in the
form of demands for jobs from DWS and for improved service
delivery from local municipalities, has prevented the optimal
operation of the critical pump stations of the DWS. Over the
past year, we assisted DWS in resolving protest action outside
a critical pump station in the Vaal River system.
Maintaining compliance with water use authorisations:
LICENCE APPLICATIONS
• To meet conditions of our water use licence (WUL) for
SO at the end of 2020, we implemented additional lining
measures of Nitro dams four and five. We are also working
on a detailed engineering plan for the Groot Bossiespruit
Wetland Reinstatement. This work is part of SO’s Water Use
Licence Application, which has been accepted for processing
by the DWS, after it met all relevant requirements. Natref’s
amended WUL was received from the DWS with corrections
during April 2021. We await the outcome of several
licence amendment applications for our Mining Business.
See environmental compliance section for more details.
PERFORMANCE
Water use million metres cubed m³
2022
2021
River water use
Potable water use
Other water use
101,8
13,5
13,1
108,6
13,3
13,9
Total water use
132,7
138,0
Increase
Decrease
• River water use decreased due to divestment of assets in the United States and the joint venture
partner being responsible for reporting on river water use.
• Potable water use increase is attributed mainly to an increase in demand for potable water in Secunda
for industrial purposes to offset a deterioration in river water quality.
SASOL SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
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