Sasol Chemicals (USA) LLC history

Commissioning of the Sasol 1 site for the production of synfuels started in 1954.

The first Sasol installation opened in 1955, but had to overcome initial technical problems that delayed successful operation for more than a year.

Strong international pressure to restrict supplies began to have an impact in 1964, when Kuwait banned all petroleum exports to South Africa.

In 1979 it was decided to take Sasol public, with 70 percent of its shares being placed on the market.

1982:Sasol Three – a replica of the Sasol Two complex – starts production.

In 1983, on the basis of the expanded capacity provided by Sasol 2 and 3, Sasol Limited was able to begin moving beyond the provision of feedstock for the country's chemical industry into the production of fertilizers and various specialty chemicals.

Most notable was technical support for some United States gas companies and general consultancy for a gasification plant in North Dakota, successfully commissioned in 1984.

More serious industrial action in 1987 resulted in Sasol's being criticized by the Industrial Court for using "rough and ugly tactics" in dealing with a strike by members of the Chemical Workers' Industrial Union.

1989:The 100 bbl/day Sasol Phase Distillate demonstration reactor is commissioned.

In 1990, major investment plans were approved for the company to expand production of a range of products that would contribute to this end.

Annual coal production from this mine peaked in 1991 at 7.4 million tons.

In 1993 synthetic fuel still accounted for 41 percent of the company's profits, much of which were in the form of government subsidies.

By 1995 Sasol had succeeded in lowering the operating costs of its synthetic fuel reactors significantly, and it became conceivable that its product might become competitive with standard crude oil.

In 1999 the company entered into a $1 billion agreement with Chevron to construct a natural gas processing plant in Nigeria, with the eventual goal of producing synthetic crude oil at the rate of 30,000 barrels a day.

2000: Sasol Chevron Holdings is formed.

In November of 2011, Sasol began construction on the world’s first tetramerization unit to manufacture co-monomers at the Lake Charles Chemical Complex.