Sasol Climate Change Report 2023 - Book - Page 31
INTRODUCTION
TRANSFORMING FOR RESILIENCE
GOVERNANCE
CLIMATE ADVOCACY AND POLICY
DATA AND ASSURANCE
ENERGY BUSINESS
PROGRESSING OUR GHG EMISSION-REDUCTION ROADMAP
-5%
Scope 1 and 2
~63 MtCO2e1
Process
and energy
efficiency
~600MW
Renewable
energy2
Scope 1 and 2
~60 MtCO2e
2017
2021
2025
2026
Baseline
Milestone
The key elements of the Sasol Energy GHG emission-reduction roadmap
SECUNDA OPERATIONS
SASOLBURG AND EKANDUSTRIA OPERATIONS
Contributing around 26-27% to emission reductions
Contributing around 3-4% to emission reductions
Reduction programme centres on:
• Boiler turndown to address both GHG reduction and
sulphur dioxide load-based compliance
• Boiler turndown results in around 3 000 t/h reduced
steam
• A fine coal solution is required as an enabler for
boiler turndown
• Save steam through:
– Basket of energy-efficiency projects
Since 2022, Sasol Energy has
progressed work on various levers
towards achieving our 30% target.
The annual review of the scope 1
and 2 emission-reduction roadmap,
with specific focus on timing of the
interventions and capital allocation
needed to deliver, was completed.
The scope 3 (Category 11) roadmap
is under development amidst a very
dynamic business environment with
several material reduction levers being
investigated.
1.
Re-baselined our 2017 target base year, removing divestments and including
methodological changes; also includes the South African Chemicals
value chain.
2. 200MW is Sasol’s portion of the initial procured 600MW in partnership with
Air Liquide.
– Reduced own electricity generation and
interdependencies
– Gasifier turndown
– Air separation units steam to electric drives
• Making steam with Synthol heat integration
• Renewable energy integration (~1 200MW)
• Other enablers
– Utility
– Condensate enablers
Sasol Energy is exploiting synergies between our
GHG and air quality roadmaps. It continues to refine
these roadmaps while closely tracking signposts,
which have a direct impact on our trajectory. Current
roadmap options focus on boiler turndown plus
restoring production volumes to varying levels using
natural gas.
For Sasol Energy, the optimal pathway is being
measured against several criteria, including sulphur
dioxide load-based compliance, GHG reduction
potential, technology and execution risk, schedule,
capital and operational expenses, and business value.
This year, Sasol Energy further optimised its roadmap,
including capital estimates. The Business saw a
marked increase in technology costs and a sharp rise
in the estimated cost of introducing 40 – 60PJ/a of
transition gas. The supply of re-gasified LNG had
been considered possible to top up further gas
requirements and to use this as a substitute for coal.
However, LNG has become unaffordable at prevailing
levels. Substantial investment in additional gas
reforming capacity was also included in our roadmap
to further recover production through gas. Given the
Reduction programme centres on:
•
•
•
•
•
Steam to electric drives
Renewable energy integration (~150MW)
Natref self-supplied on steam
Basket of energy-efficiency projects
Asset optimisation
increase in capital cost and affordability of LNG, Sasol
Energy decided to place on hold expenditure on
additional gas reforming capacity. Other options for
the partial recovery of production using existing
capacity are being explored to create flexibility at
lower cost while recovering production to levels
similar to those of 2023, and still achieve a 30% GHG
reduction. We will provide further updates in the next
reporting cycle.
GHG reduction levers also include reducing coal to
gasification, implementing energy-efficiency projects
at Secunda and in total turning down the equivalent
of up to six boilers, to allow the Business to meet
minimum sulphur dioxide emission standards on a
load basis and achieve GHG reductions. To enable the
integrated roadmap, sulphur dioxide from Secunda’s
steam plant will need an alternative load-based
regulatory limit, permitted through clause 12A of
South Africa’s Air Quality Act: Minimum Emission
Standards, as opposed to the prescribed
concentration-based limit. For more on the status of
this application, see page 44 SR ).
Boilers produce steam and electricity from fine coal,
a by-product of mining coarse coal for gasification.
SASOL CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT 2023
30
As a result, if the boilers are turned down, alternative
steam and electricity solutions, and alternative uses of
fine coal, will need to be found.
Fine coal
Several excess fine coal solutions have been evaluated
for technical feasibility to enable the Business to utilise
fine coal as a feedstock for Secunda’s gasification
process. Technical feasibility studies were undertaken
focusing on understanding the ability to address the
full extent of the excess fine coal challenge, cost
implications and execution schedules. Accordingly, fine
coal briquetting was selected as the preferred solution.
Coal briquetting is a process in which fine coal is
moulded into briquettes for effective consumption in
the gasifiers, in this way optimising feedstock usage.
To mitigate potential schedule delays, smaller-scale
solutions will be pursued for the period between
turndown of the first boiler (targeted for 1 April 2025)
and availability of the briquetting solution. We remain
on track to deliver key milestones for the approval of
basic engineering development for this solution.