South African integrated energy firm Sasol has informed its bitumen customers that it has run out of the heavy oil product ahead of the planned May-June refinery turnaround at its 107,000 b/d Natref refinery, which is held in a joint venture with TotalEnergies.
In a letter sent by Sasol to its customers today, the firm said it has had no bitumen availability since stocks held at the Natref refinery in Sasolburg — South Africa's only remaining bitumen-producing refinery — ran out at the end of April. It said that, as a result of the planned shutdown, it anticipated supplies to resume in August.
South African market participants said in March that the Natref refinery, in which Sasol has a 63.64pc stake, would be fully shut from mid-May until end-June, and that no bitumen was expected to be available from the refinery for the whole of May and June.
TotalEnergies agreed late last year to sell its minority 36.6pc stake in Natref to UK-based energy firm Prax for an undisclosed sum.
South Africa is now largely reliant on bitumen imports, mainly shipped as cargoes in specialised tankers into Durban and Cape Town. The Natref supply halt comes as construction companies race to complete road-paving projects before the southern hemisphere winter reduces activity and bitumen demand from June to August.
