Energy

Small South African town is the only place in the world where petrol and diesel are made without oil

Bianke Neethling • 5 May 2026

The small town of Secunda in Mpumalanga houses South Africa’s one remaining coal-to-liquid plant, operated by Sasol.

Sasol’s Secunda facility is the country’s only domestic source of fuel, with the capacity to produce 150,000 barrels of synthetic fuel per day. This also makes it the largest facility of its kind in the world.

Situated amid Mpumalanga’s abundant coal fields, Secunda and Sasol’s connection dates back to the town’s establishment.

Secunda was specifically built to house Sasol’s coal liquefaction plant, which was constructed to make South Africa less dependent on imported oil after the 1973/4 oil crisis.

The 1973 oil crisis took place after the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries announced that it was implementing a total oil embargo against countries that had supported Israel at any point during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

South Africa was included on this list of countries, with devastating consequences for the country’s fuel supply. Therefore, in 1974, Sasol was instructed to develop the town for its industrial complex.

The name “Secunda” is derived from the Latin secundus, meaning “second”, as the town was chosen to house Sasol’s second facility of this kind.

This facility instantly made Secunda one of the most important towns in South Africa and the world, with Sasol becoming a global leader in the production of coal-to-liquids.

To this day, Sasol’s Secunda facility is the world’s only operating commercial-scale coal-to-liquids plant.

The facility receives coal from five mines in Mpumalanga, with the province known for its abundant coal mines that produce over 80% of the country’s total output.

Secunda’s national prominence also made it a political target during South Africa’s tumultuous Apartheid era, becoming the target of two attempted bombings by the ANC in the 1980s.

According to Statistics South Africa’s 2011 Census, Secunda is home to just over 40,000 residents, with an additional 245,000 people living in the nearby Embhalenhle community.

Sasol’s groundbreaking Secunda refinery

Sasol’s first coal liquefaction plant was established in Sasolburg in the Free State in the 1950s, though it has since transitioned to using natural gas rather than coal.

Therefore, while not its first, Sasol’s Secunda refinery is now the only and largest plant of its kind.

What makes this facility unique is that it does not rely on crude oil to produce fuel, instead using chemical reactions and coal.

Sasol has pioneered the commercial application of this process, known as the Fischer-Tropsch process, since the early 1950s, when it began producing fuel-based synfuels and chemicals.

The Fischer-Tropsch process relies on coal, which is crushed and blended to obtain an even quality distribution.

Electricity, generated by steam and gas, is then used to gasify the coal at a temperature of 1,300°C.

This produces syngas, which is then processed in two types of reactors to produce components for synthetic fuels and a number of downstream chemicals.

Secunda’s two units use this process to produce up to 150,000 barrels of fuel per day.

“The Secunda refinery is special in that it does not rely on crude oil. Secunda is the largest refinery remaining and essentially relies only on coal and gas, which we have ourselves,” Sasol CEO Simon Baloyi recently said.

“What is absolutely crucial is that this refinery not only produces fuel and diesel, but also produces ammonia and other chemicals that are vital for other industries in South Africa.”

While the Secunda facility was initially built to improve South Africa’s fuel independence, the country has only become more dependent on imported fuel over the past few decades.

South Africa once produced the majority of its own refined petroleum products and a large share of its own oil, but is now heavily reliant on imports and, therefore, vulnerable to global supply shocks.

Baloyi said South Africa would need around two to three more ‘Sasols’ to become fully independent.

“We have to make sure the refineries we still have are operational, as those refineries give you diversity of supply and production,” Baloyi said.