Air Liquide and Sasol sign new long-term contracts to supply an additional 100 MW of renewable electricity to the Secunda site

Air Liquide and Sasol have signed new Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) with the global wind and solar company Mainstream Renewable Power, for the long-term supply of a capacity of 97.5 MW of renewable power to Sasol’s Secunda site, in South Africa, where Air Liquide operates the biggest oxygen production site in the world. This is the third set of PPAs signed by Air Liquide and Sasol, after those announced in the first quarter of 2023 with Enel Green Power and TotalEnergies with its partner Mulilo. Together, these PPAs represent a total renewable power capacity of around 580 MW. For Air Liquide, these contracts will contribute to the targeted reduction by 30% to 40% of the CO2 emissions associated with oxygen production in Secunda by 2031.

Within the framework of these PPAs with Air Liquide and Sasol, Mainstream will create a local company with strong socio-economic development commitments which will build a solar farm located in the Free State province. This renewable energy production facility is scheduled to be operational in 2025.

Nicolas Poirot, Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Middle East & India hub, said:

“Together with our long-term partner Sasol, we have secured massive amounts of renewable energy generation capacity. This will significantly contribute to the decarbonisation of our operations in Secunda and actively support the development of renewable energies in South Africa, for the benefit of the South African electrical system and ultimately of the South African society in the context of a Just Transition. In line with Air Liquide’s ADVANCE strategic plan, these PPAs also demonstrate the Group’s capacity to collaborate with its customers to provide solutions which contribute to the decarbonization of its assets as well as of its clients.”

Air Liquide acquired Sasol’s 16 oxygen production units in Secunda and has been operating them since June 2021, in the framework of a long-term supply contract with its partner. Including another Air Separation Unit (ASU) it already operated for Sasol, Air Liquide operates a total of 17 ASUs in Secunda, with a total capacity of 47,000 tonnes/day of oxygen. Air Liquide plans to reduce by 30% to 40% the CO2 emissions (Scope 2) arising from the 16 oxygen production units it acquired from Sasol through a multi-year investment and modernization plan and a steep increase of the site’s procurement of renewable energies.