Sasol to build new methanol production plant

Sasol, a world leader in the conversion of coal to fuels and petrochemical products, announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Sasol Chemical Industries Limited received board approval for the construction of a new plant to produce high-purity methanol at its Sasolburg facilities.
The plant will cost R 100 million and will be designed to produce 140,000 tons of AA grade methanol per year. The product will meet the strictest international quality requirements.
The new plant involves the conversion of an existing reactor to produce crude methanol, a new distillation unit to purify the product and modifications to storage tanks and dispatch facilities. It will replace the existing 20,000 tons per year methanol plant in Sasolburg.
The production capacity of the plant is sufficient to satisfy the needs of the South African market for the foreseeable future and will replace imports currently entering the country. The plant is expected to be commissioned during the second half of 1998.