Study links Sasol’s Secunda emissions to 1,000 premature deaths and $1 billion health cost
Researchers estimate that pollutants from Sasol’s Secunda plant cause about 1,000 early deaths each year and generate nearly $1 billion in health costs.
Researchers from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, a Finland-based nonprofit, have quantified the health burden of emissions from Sasol’s Secunda complex, estimating about 1,000 premature deaths each year and a total health cost near $1 billion. The findings underscore the tension in South Africa’s largest economy between its pledged climate actions and reliance on Sasol, which is regarded as the world’s biggest single-site source of greenhouse gases.
In parallel, regulators announced plans to revive criminal proceedings against Sasol for alleged unlawful chemical waste releases into a river, a charge the company rejects. A separate study by the University of Cape Town cautioned that an abrupt shutdown of the Secunda plant as part of a green transition could erase $550 million from South Africa’s $400 billion gross domestic product. With coal providing more than 80 % of national power, the Secunda facility and the broader coal-fired power fleet remain critical to economic stability while also representing major climate liabilities.
Why it matters
It shows the health toll and economic trade-offs of South Africa’s dependence on a major coal-based emitter.
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