Southlands Sun
6 May 2005

Question: : This month of May has been declared 'Cleaner Air month". I would like to know what measures has Sapref taken to ensure the residents of Merebank and surrounding areas enjoy the benefits of cleaner air??

SAPREF's response: Over the past 11 years SAPREF has spent more than R480 million on initiatives to enhance environmental performance, air quality improvement being a large part of that effort.

Among some of the initiatives we've embarked on is the conversion from using heavy oil to fuel gas in our furnaces which in turn has reduced our smoke and sulphur dioxide emissions.

. We have also installed flare pilots to the tune of R4.7 million to ensure the safe burning of gases.

. In 2002 SAPREF invested R350 million in a sulphur recovery unit (called SRU4/SCOT) that has reduced the refinery's sulphur dioxide emissions by 46%. Overall our sulphur dioxide emissions have been reduced by 60% since 1997.

. SAPREF also has an ongoing programme of fitting double seals on floating roof tanks to reduce volatile organic compounds emissions (VOC) escaping into the air. It is estimated that by 2006 a 20% reduction in VOC emissions will have been achieved by this method.

The refinery's cleaner fuels project (LION) is well on track and SAPREF expects to be the first refinery to meet the government's cleaner fuels specifications of phasing out leaded petrol and high-sulphur petrol and diesel by 1 January 2006.

SAPREF will not be replacing lead in petrol with any other octane-boosting additive which will ensure 100% cleaner fuels and contribute to cleaner air.



In a true signal of our commitment to improve air quality in the South Durban basin SAPREF is also an active participant in the south Durban Multi-Point Plan which was spearheaded by former Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Valli Moosa to address air pollution concerns in the area.

The plan involves devising an air quality management plan and conducting health studies to investigate the impact of pollution on health.

SAPREF has contributed R1.85 million towards this exercise and has representation on steering committees for the health study and network monitoring and air quality management initiatives. We welcome the plan as it will give scientific evidence of the nature and sources of pollution in south Durban and should provide a fair basis for improvement.