Contributing to South Africa's industrial decarbonization
Published on September 10, 2025
3 minutes
At Air Liquide, inventing a sustainable future is at the heart of our strategy. Our global plan, ADVANCE, places our environmental and societal commitments on equal footing with our financial performance. This commitment is not just an ambition; it is a roadmap for action. In South Africa, we are turning this vision into a reality, spearheading one of the most significant industrial decarbonization projects in the country.
The Secunda Opportunity: A landmark commitment
For over 45 years, Air Liquide has been a strategic partner to Sasol in Secunda, where we now operate the largest oxygen production site in the world. The scale of these operations presents both a significant responsibility and a unique opportunity to make a substantial impact on the country's climate goals.
That is why we have set an ambitious objective: to reduce the CO₂ emissions associated with oxygen production at Secunda by 30% to 40% by 2031.
To achieve this ambitious target, we are deploying a multi-faceted strategy that combines our global expertise with local investment:
- Operational Excellence: Leveraging over 120 years of expertise in air separation to continuously optimize the efficiency of our assets.
- Modernization & Digitalization: Investing significantly in new technologies to reduce the site's overall energy consumption.
- Renewable Energy: a joint procurement program for renewable energy for decarbonizing our operations.
Our Journey in Action
Our decarbonization story is one of partnership, innovation, and long-term commitment. Watch our video to see how we are turning ambition into action in South Africa.
Our joint procurement of renewable energy
In 2021, together with our partner, Sasol, we launched a joint procurement program to secure 900 MW of renewable energy capacity. To date, we have signed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with several Independent Power Producers (IPPs) for a total of approximately 690 MW of wind and solar energy. These PPAs already in place for Secunda are projected to reduce our CO2 emissions by approximately 1.2 million tonnes per year. This significant reduction contributes directly to Air Liquide’s goal of decreasing CO2 emissions associated with oxygen production in Secunda by 30% to 40% by 2031.
This initiative positions Air Liquide and Sasol as the largest private offtakers of renewable energy in South Africa, demonstrating our capability to work with customers to deliver impactful decarbonization solutions.
Milestone Achieved: First Power to Secunda
In August 2024, the first project from our joint program, developed by Mainstream Renewable Power, began supplying 97.5 MW of renewable power directly to our Secunda site. This project is the first to supply renewable power under our joint procurement programme with our partner Sasol, through which we have already secured almost 700 MW of renewable energy.
Expanding the Blueprint for Sustainability
In a significant step for our Industrial Merchant business in South Africa, we signed a PPA with Mainstream Renewable Power to supply renewable energy to our Richards Bay site. This agreement marks a new chapter in our decarbonization journey, with the site expected to be powered by renewable energy from 2026.
Anchored in a Global Commitment
Our actions in South Africa are a critical component of Air Liquide's worldwide goals to adress climate change. We are committed to taking decisive action for a low-carbon society and contributing to a sustainable future for all.
Our Global Climate Objectives:
- By 2025: Achieve an inflection point in our CO₂ emissions and reduce our Carbon Intensity by -30% (vs. 2020).
- By 2035: Reduce our absolute Scope 1 & 2 CO₂ emissions by -33% (vs. 2020).
- By 2050: Reach Carbon Neutrality across our entire value chain.