Mossgas to supply environmentally-friendly fuels and chemicals

South Africa's state-owned gas-to-fuel producer Mossgas is to build a plant to supply 70,000 tons of environmentally-friendly fuels and chemicals annually for the export market. In a statement, Mossgas said the facility will be completed in the third quarter of 2002 and will earn around $ 30 mm a year in foreign currency.
This will increase the company's current export revenue to more than 500 mm rand ($ 66 mm) a year. Mossgas said it will initially target the US and European markets.
The new plant will produce low aromatic distillates and kerosene for the drilling fluids, solvents, specialty chemicals and indoor heating and lighting markets. Mossgas said its low aromatic products are expected to command premiums of more than 100 % over the fuel price of both diesel and kerosene. "Our products are derived from natural gas and have lower sulphur and aromatic contents than similar products derived from oil," the company said.