50-year-old town in South Africa named the worst polluter in the world

·10 May 2026

Secunda, in Mpumalanga, is home to the world’s largest single point of emissions, with Sasol’s operations in the area producing more carbon dioxide than entire countries.

Secunda was built to serve the second Sasol coal liquefaction plant, when the country sought to reduce its dependence on imported oil after the 1973 oil crisis.

In 1974, Sasol started to develop the town of Secunda, with the town officially proclaimed in 1976, which is also when the first resident moved in.

The town supplies both the Sasol complex and the nearby coal mines. The town has more than 40,000 inhabitants, while the Sasol facility employs over 28,000 people.

Outside of Sasol, the town is home to a series of amenities, including the Secunda Mall, schools, including a Curro, a waterpark and Graceland Hotel Casino & Country Club.

Around 250,000 people live in the nearby eMbalenhle township, which was established as Secunda’s black-only township in the apartheid-era 1970s.

As reported by MyBroadband, the town was named after the Sasol II facility that it was built around, a coal-to-liquid plant in South Africa, after the first facility at Sasolburg.

Sasol uses carbon monoxide and hydrogen, which are produced from coal through gasification, and then processes these gases into synthetic fuel, contributing about 30% of the nation’s liquid fuel supply.

Bloomberg noted that Secunda’s reliance on coal as its primary feedstock makes it the world’s largest single-point emitter of carbon dioxide. In 2023, Sasol emitted 64,000 kilotons of CO2.

Sasol was also named among 57 companies worldwide that accounted for 80% of global CO2 emissions from 2016 to 2022 by Carbon Majors, ranking 56th globally.

Secunda’s operations alone produced more emissions than those of over 100 countries worldwide, including Norway, which is a major oil producer, as Bloomberg noted.

An international player also in the firing line

While Sasol’s operations in Secunda have been under constant scrutiny for years, Air Liquide’s operations there are now under the microscope as well.

In 2021, Air Liquide bought the world’s largest oxygen production site from Sasol, located in Secunda. This oxygen is then used in the gasification process to convert coal into gases.

Responsible investment organisation Just Share noted that South Africa’s industrial gases sector remains largely invisible in mainstream climate discussions.

This is despite its role in energy-intensive operations and its role in enabling emissions across multiple heavy industries. With the sector operating in the background, Just Share said that it is overlooked.

Just Share has also criticised Air Liquide for the lack of verifiable commitment to the public-interest conditions of its 2021 deal with Sasol.

Air Liquide acquired sole operational control of 17 air separation units in its oxygen production system at Secunda, committing to reduce emissions by 30% by 2031, with 2020 as the base year.

“Both the baseline figure and annual compliance reports against this commitment have not been publicly disclosed, which makes independent verification of progress structurally impossible,” said Just Share.

“If industrial gases are the hidden backbone of heavy industrial processes, then their emissions – and the role they play in enabling other emissions-intensive industries – cannot remain in the shadows.”

Moreover, although the original 900 MW renewable energy target set by the Competition Tribunal was surpassed, these levels are only a fraction of their capacity.

According to Just Share, the company’s average renewable load factor is only 30%-35% for wind power and 19%-21% for solar power.

Given that the site runs all day, Eskom’s coal-fired electricity is required for about 65% to 80% of operations. The activists also noted that Air Liquide lacks a regionalised transition plan for South Africa.

It added that Air Liquide’s Secunda operations face coal exposure on two fronts: seven coal-powered steam-driven units and ten electricity-powered units that draw on South Africa’s 80% coal-based grid.

“Greater transparency is essential. Site-level emissions reporting, clear interim milestones and public disclosure of merger compliance would allow investors, regulators and citizens to assess progress.”

“Without these measures, the world’s largest single point source of emissions risks remaining a black box.”