South Africa-based integrated energy and chemical company Sasol and Air Liquide have announced the launch of US$246.07mn oxygen production plant in Secunda, South Africa Sasol FlcThe new oxygen plant aims to boost the economic development of South Africa. This is one of the largest Air Separation Unit (ASU) which is ever built at Sasol’s synthetic fuels and chemicals complex in the region.

For this plant, Air Liquide built and operated a 5000-tonne per day air separation train in order to supply oxygen and nitrogen to Sasol’s proprietary synthetic fuels and chemicals manufacturing process. This is the 17th train that is built at Sasol’s Secunda complex. The train is energy efficient and uses oxygen capacity to operate a complex infrastructure.

In the construction of the new Air Separation Unit, Sasol outsourced its oxygen needs at its Secunda site to Air Liquide Group. With the oxygen production technology, both the companies aim to contribute to South Africa’s economic and social development, said François Jackow, member of the Air Liquide Group’s executive committee for the Middle East and Africa