While Sasol continues to reduce its overall capital expenditure, the JSE-listed group is increasing its investment in its coal mining business to shore up the feedstock needed to raise output at its Secunda Operations to 7.4-million tons, while also reducing external coal purchases.

Production at Secunda Operations in Mpumalanga increased to 7.2-million tons in the year to June 30, a five-year high that helped underpin strong results that were also buoyed by energy market developments after the US and Israel declared war on Iran.

The group reported a 17% rise in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation to R61-billion and a 9% rise in headline earnings per share to R38.31.

The performance at Secunda Operations was supported by improved gasifier availability, the absence of a shutdown, as well as better coal quality following the completion of a coal-destoning project to reduce coal sinks, or impurities.

For the 2027 financial year, when a shutdown is scheduled, Sasol is forecasting output of between 7.2-million and 7.4-million tons, supported by feedstock improvements and increased overall equipment availability.

CEO Simon Baloyi said during a presentation that the implementation of the R1-billion conversion of the Twistdraai export-coal washing plant into a destoning facility had resulted in materially improved coal quality, with sinks of below 12%.

“Looking ahead, we will ensure sustained coal quality while focusing on increasing own coal production, reducing external coal purchases and improving the cost competitiveness of our feedstock,” Baloyi said during a results presentation.

He added that an assessment of scenarios to ensure Sasol’s long-term coal supply was also progressing and that an update would be provided during the company’s 2027 capital markets day.

Executive VP for mining Sandile Siyaya confirmed that Sasol would continue to reduce its purchases of coal from external sources in the coming financial year, having purchased 8.8-million tons in 2026.

External purchases of between five-million and seven-million tons were expected during the 2027 financial year, alongside an increase in own production from the 28.4-million tons produced in 2026.

“We have given guidance of between 30-million and 32-million tons,” Siyaya said, reaffirming the goal of supplying 34-million tons from internal collieries by 2028.

Mining-related capital expenditure (capex) was also defying the downward trend in the rest of the group over the past three years, rising from R2.9-billion in 2024 to R4.1-billion in 2026, while group-wide capex fell to R20.9-billion from R25.4-billion in 2025.

Sasol has also lowered its capex guidance for 2027 from between R27-billion and R29-billion to between R22-billion and R25-billion.

CFO Walt Bruns told Engineering News & Mining Weekly that Sasol Mining was likely to invest between R1-billion and R1.5-billion more in the 2027 financial year than the R4.1-billion invested in the prior year, including in a shaft replacement project.

Coal feedstock is also required to produce the methane-rich gas (MRG) Sasol intends to sell to industrial gas customers, which face a gas supply crunch from 2028 when Sasol halts the supply of natural gas from Mozambique to such customers.

Baloyi described the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa's) approval of its gas pricing application covering its 2027 financial year and part of 2028 as a “positive step towards enabling the MRG bridge solution”.

Nersa approved a maximum gas price of R97.31/GJ for the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year for end-user customers and R92.44/GJ for traders and resellers.

However, Baloyi said Sasol would not make a final investment decision in relation to the MRG-related investment until there was greater pricing certainty for a longer period.

Bruns indicated that Sasol would need to invest in additional pipeline infrastructure to facilitate the supply of MRG to industrial customers, which currently consume about 40 PJ of gas yearly.

“Before we spend any significant capital to enable the supply of MRG, we would like the competition assessment to be finalised,” Baloyi said in reference to an indication by Nersa that it would undertake a regulatory process concerning the adequacy of competition in the relevant gas market.

“The outcome of this process will inform the consideration of maximum prices for the remaining periods of Sasol Gas’s application,” Nersa said in a statement, which provided no timing specifics.