Sasol Chevron Embarks on Unique South Africa to Qatar Challenge to Test GTL Fuel

Sasol Chevron Embarks on Unique South Africa to Qatar Challenge to Test GTL Fuel

April 19, 2006

Toughest Ever Test for Cleaner, Greener Fuel Technology Ahead of Ground-breaking GTL Oryx Plant Opening in Qatar

    LONDON and JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 19
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Sasol Chevron, the joint venture
between Chevron Corporation, one of the world's leading
energy companies, and South African petrochemical company
Sasol Limited, an innovative and competitive global energy
company, today launched an unprecedented challenge to
showcase its cleaner, greener GTL (gas-to-liquid) diesel
fuel technology. 

    The Sasol Chevron GTL Challenge will see a team of
twelve men and women embarking on a symbolic journey from
Sasolburg, South Africa to Qatar, to signal the
inauguration of the ORYX GTL plant in Qatar on 6th June.

    John Gass, President of Chevron Global Gas and Sasol
Chevron Chairman of the Board, said: "Drawing on
cutting edge technology, Sasol Chevron is delivering a
high-performing, ultra clean fuel from natural gas.
Throughout this challenging trip, we will be demonstrating
the fuel's capabilities and performance under some of the
world's toughest road conditions -- the same fuel that may
be used in existing diesel engines. We're excited about the
future of GTL."

    The team has been challenged by Sasol Chevron to
complete the 11,000 km journey, across six countries in
Africa and some of the toughest conditions on the planet,
in 46 days, arriving in Doha, Qatar by 5th June for the
official opening of the US$950 million ORYX GTL production
facility.

    One of the team's five vehicles, a Toyota Hilux Raider,
dubbed African Renaissance -- highlighting the African
continent's growing influence on the world's energy
industry -- will be fuelled from beginning to end with GTL
(gas-to-liquid) diesel fuel from Sasol's plant in
Sasolburg.  The GTL fuel burns significantly cleaner than
conventional diesel and provides superior performance. 

    George Couvaras, Sasol Chevron CEO, said, "Sasol
Chevron is proud to be involved in the marketing of the GTL
products from the ORYX plant. We are developing markets and
applications that take advantage of the unique properties
of the fuel and position it in its rightful place as the
benchmark for high quality diesel."

    Sasol's Chief Executive Pat Davies added: "We want
to show the world that our new GTL diesel burns
significantly cleaner and exceeds every performance
standard of conventional oil derived diesel fuel. I warmly
thank our partner Qatar Petroleum for helping us build on
what we have developed in South Africa -- creating in Qatar
the world's largest and most technologically advanced GTL
plant."

    People round the world will be encouraged to follow
this personal and technological challenge online at a new
website -- http://www.sasolchevron.com/gtlchallenge --
detailing the progress of the trip with downloadable
broadcasts of the team's personal experiences while
travelling through Eastern Africa to Doha. 

    A joint venture between the state-owned petroleum
company Qatar Petroleum (51%) and Sasol (49%), ORYX GTL in
Qatar is the first low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch GTL
plant outside South Africa dedicated to the production of
new generation GTL diesel and the world's first commercial
GTL facility.  The plant will use Sasol's proprietary
Fischer-Tropsch technology. London-based Sasol Chevron will
market the high-quality, environmentally-friendly GTL diesel
worldwide later this year.

    GTL diesel dovetails neatly into tighter environmental
controls and increased diesel consumption in many parts of
the world. In markets such as the US, Europe, Japan and
Australia the maximum permissible sulphur content in diesel
has plummeted from 5,000 parts per million (ppm) 15 years
ago to as little as 10 ppm today.  This GTL diesel has a
sulphur content of less than 5 parts per million and has
been developed entirely at the Sasol plant in Sasolburg. It
provides superior performance to diesel engines while
reducing emissions. 

    The ORYX GTL plant will scale up over the next few
months to convert gas from the North Field in the Gulf into
34,000 bpd of liquid hydrocarbons (mainly GTL diesel).  In
conjunction with Sasol Chevron and Qatar Petroleum, the
intention is to increase the plant's capacity to more than
100,000 bpd. The partners are also exploring building an
integrated GTL plant with a capacity of about 130,000 bpd
in the future.

    Also under construction is the Escravos GTL (EGTL)
plant in Nigeria. It is being built by the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Chevron Nigeria
Limited (CNL). Sasol Chevron is licensing the technology
from Sasol and will provide the technology, engineering
services and engineering support needed to take the project
through the engineering, procurement and construction
phase.

    The world has abundant natural gas resources, and GTL
offers gas-producing countries a way to commercialize their
resources while meeting a growing need for clean
transportation fuels. Sasol Chevron is fostering the
development of a GTL industry and global markets for GTL by
designing, building and operating plants throughout the
world to manufacture and market alternative fuels and
products.

    Sasol Chevron was established in October 2000 as a
50/50 joint venture to actively pursue commercial
application of GTL technology for selected Chevron and
Sasol-held reserves of natural gas; third-party gas
reserves and host countries seeking to monetize their gas
reserves. GTL will be produced using the Sasol Slurry Phase
Distillate process (SPD).

    Chevron Corporation is one of the world's leading
energy companies. With more than 53,000 employees, Chevron
subsidiaries conduct business in approximately 180
countries around the world, producing and transporting
crude oil and natural gas, and refining, marketing, and
distributing fuels and other energy products. Chevron is
based in San Ramon, Calif. More information on Chevron is
available at http://www.chevron.com . 

    Sasol is an integrated oil and gas company with
substantial chemical interests. Based in South Africa and
with international operations, Sasol is listed on the New
York Stock Exchange and JSE stock exchange in Johannesburg.
 Sasol is the leading provider of liquid fuels in South
Africa and a major international producer of chemicals.
Sasol uses proprietary Fischer-Tropsch technologies for the
commercial production of synthetic fuels and chemicals from
low-grade coal and natural gas.  It manufactures more than
200 fuel and chemical products that are sold worldwide. In
South Africa Sasol also operates coal mines to provide
feedstock for its synthetic fuels plants. Sasol operates
South Africa's only inland crude oil refinery.  The group
produces crude oil in offshore Gabon, supplies Mozambican
natural gas to end-user customers and petrochemical plants
in South Africa, and with partners is developing
gas-to-liquids fuel joint ventures in Qatar and Nigeria. 
More information on Sasol is available at
http://www.sasol.com .

    For more information, please contact:

     Malcolm Wells of Sasol Chevron
     Tel:   [phone]

     Michael Barrett of Chevron
     Tel:   [phone]

     Marina Bidoli of Sasol
     Tel:   [phone]

SOURCE  Sasol Chevron