Sasol breaks ground on alkoxylation production facility in Nanjing, China

Sasol Limited, a leading integrated chemicals and energy company, has formally begun construction of its new alkoxylation plant in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. Ushered in by a ground-breaking ceremony on June 8 at the Nanjing Chemical Industrial Park (NCIP), the new plant is expected to be fully operational in early 2019.

The ceremony was presided by Fleetwood Grobler, Executive Vice President of Chemicals Business, Sasol and attended by Miao Ruilin, the Mayor of Nanjing; Dolana Msimang, the South African Ambassador to China; representatives from South African diplomatic missions in China and NCIP officials.

The production unit will modernise and expand Sasol’s current alkoxylation capacity, research and development facility and technical support capability in Nanjing. Through this strategic investment, Sasol will strengthen its position in China and better meet the growing demand for speciality chemicals in this important growth market.

This project entails the construction of an alkoxylation plant with a capacity of approximately 150kt/yr, with the option of using either branched or linear alcohols to meet differentiated customer requirements in applications, such as detergent, personal care, textiles and leather, metal working and lubrication, paper inks and coatings and the oil and gas recovery markets.

"With China’s economy forecast to represent 40% of the world chemical demand by 2020 and its on-going shift towards high value and differentiated segments, China is an important market for Sasol,” said Fleetwood Grobler, Executive Vice President of Chemicals Business, Sasol. "The new production unit will more than double Sasol’s alkoxylation production capacity and Sasol’s state of the art technology offers our business partners significant benefits in terms of safety, reliability and flexibility.”

The site, to be located in NCIP, occupies about 35 acres representing a significant expansion of the existing footprint. Through this project, Sasol will be able to offer a range of diversified products to optimally serve this growing market by combining a unique portfolio of building blocks and extensive global experience. Sasol will continue to comply with the highest standards of environment, health and safety and is committed to a sustainable development in China.