Sasol has formulated a special blend of alcohols to address the increasing demand for sanitizer alcohols
JOHANNESBURG – Integrated chemicals and energy company Sasol said on Tuesday it planned to run its South African-based operations during a 21-day national lockdown to contain Covid-19 ending ending on April 16, and would work with the government to ensure uninterrupted supply of fuels and chemicals.
In a statement, Sasol however said some plants would be required to reduce throughput or potentially shutdown following lower product off-take by its customers due to the lockdown.
“Furthermore, some intermediate chemicals will be re-directed to the production of products where demand is not impacted, to the extent possible,” it added.
“To this end, Sasol has formulated a special blend of alcohols to address the increasing demand for sanitizer alcohols and will expedite the production and availability of these critical products locally to help safeguard the health and wellbeing of South Africans.”
The company said it was collaborating with the department of trade, industry and competition and prioritising supply to government entities and other essential services to jointly combat the spread of the virus in South Africa.
Outside South Africa, most of Sasol’s operations were continuing, with no significant impacts to North America or its supply chain, or to construction of its Lake Charles Chemicals Project in Louisiana.
All European and Asian assets were currently in operation, it said, while the central processing facility in Temane, Mozambique, which supplies natural gas to that country as well as South Africa, was not affected.
“The Covid-19 situation is highly dynamic and with infection rates continuing to increase in many countries, there is a risk of interruptions to production, construction and associated supply chains, along with a potential impact on demand and product pricing in some sectors,” Sasol said.
“The impact on the business, suppliers and customers is being continuously evaluated.” – African News Agency
