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Energy and chemicals · Chemicals and industrial operations

Sasolburg Operations

Sasol’s first major production base, built during the 1950s and later redirected towards higher-value chemicals.

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Sasolburg Operations grew from the first plant built for South Africa’s state-backed oil-from-coal project. Construction began in mid-1952. [1]

History

Production units began operating in 1954, and the first petrol flowed on 23 August 1955. [1]

Sasol later redirected the site towards higher-value chemicals and converted it to natural gas feedstock in 2004. [1][2]

Frequently asked questions

What was Sasolburg’s role in Sasol history?

It was the first production base and the site of Sasol’s first petrol output in August 1955. [1]

Does Sasolburg still use the original coal feedstock?

No. Sasol records a conversion to natural gas feedstock in 2004 and a shift towards chemicals. [1][2]

Key milestones

  1. Construction of the first plant began. [1]

  2. The plant produced its first petrol. [1]

  3. The site converted from coal to natural gas feedstock. [1][2]

Company builders

  • Etienne Rousseau — South African chemical engineer, first Sasol employee and founding managing director who led the company’s initial industrial development.

Related articles

Related institutions

  • Sasol — Sasol is a listed South African energy and chemicals group built from a state-backed synthetic-fuels project established in 1950.
  • Secunda Operations — Sasol’s integrated Mpumalanga production hub for synthetic fuels, chemicals and pipeline gas, developed through the Sasol Two and Sasol Three projects.

Sources

  1. Sasol, Celebrating our heritage. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-24. ↩
  2. Sasol, Historical milestones. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-24. ↩