South Africa on track for switch to clean fuels

摘要

Most South African refineries are on track to meet strict new clean fuels specifications from January after spending more than 1 Obn rand( 1.47bn)in a burst of upgrading activity.South Africa is the refining giant of sub-Saharan Africa,but it may become a net importer of diesel in the longer term if strong demand growth continues,says oil industry association Sapia.Refiners have invested to meet new rules to remove lead from gasoline and reduce sulphur in diesel from 3,000ppm to 500ppm,but have not expanded capacity despite rising demand.Diesel demand in South Africa is up by 28pc compared with 2000 at 137,000 b/d in the first three