Sasol, the worlds largest manufacturer of Oil from Coal, maintains coal liquefaction plants located at Secunda (oil) and Sasolburg (Petrochemicals). Privatized in 1979, Sasol expanded its Secunda facilities to reduce costs and to help it remain competitive in 2001.
State-owned PetroSA began synfuel production in 1993. The PetroSA plant receives Natural Gas and condensate feedstock from the FA, EM, and EBF gas fields in Mossel Bay through a pair of 56-mile pipelines. PetroSA converts the gas into a variety of liquid fuels including motor Gasoline, Distillates, kerosene, alcohols and LPG.
In June 2004, President Thabo Mbeki and Mozambican President Joachim Chissano inaugurated a $1.2 billion project in which Mozambique would supply South Africa with natural gas to replace coal-based feedstock at Sasols Infrachem chemicals facility in Sasolburg.
In November 2004, Sasol announced the creation of Uhambo, a joint-venture fuel refining and marketing company. Uhambo will combine Sasols Liquid Fuels Business with Petronas Engen, while Tschwarisano and LFB Investment and Africa Energy Resources (SER) will also have stake in its ownership. Sasol has proposed implementation of a black economic empowerment (BEE) program to guarantee that black groups have a 25 percent stake in Uhambo.