Methods & Concepts

Having defined the project objectives and identified the content focus area, the following steps were followed to respond to the question “What do we need to understand about decarbonization of Secunda, Sasolburg and their value chains to make optimal decisions as a country over the coming years?

1. Define decarbonisation ambition
2. Understand multiple dimensions of the decarbonization challenge, from multiple perspectives
3. Extract and synthesis key insights for decision-makers.

1. The definition of decarbonisation ambition for Secunda, Sasolburg and their value chains was undertaken primarily by referring to the outputs of techno-economic modelling studies, noting the significant uncertainties (Reported in this Methods and Concepts section).
2. To expand the decarbonisation challenge from knowledge dimensions beyond the techno-economic view provided by models, an adapted version of the PESTEL (Political, Environmental, Social, Technical (and financial), Economic and Legal) analytical tool originating in business planning was adopted. This was used to frame data collection and stimulate research and engagement on decarbonisation challenges and opportunities. A literature review was conducted, drawing on information sources including academic and grey literature, techno-economic modelling and Sasol’s company reports. A full reference list is provided. A stakeholder mapping exercise was used to identify the range of parties that could offer different perspectives on the challenge. A series of engagements was then held with both subject matter experts and a selection of key constituent groups. (Reported in this Method section).  The result is a rich description of the challenge of decarbonizing Secunda, Sasolburg and their value chains. (Reported in the section ‘Transitioning SA’s petrochemicals value chain’).
3. Key insights from the analysis were synthesized, focused on identifying key uncertainties and risk, and highlighting near-term actions that could help build resilience in the face of uncertainty (Reported in the key insights section)