Output from fire-damaged unit at Sasol’s Lake Charles delayed to October

(The Associated Press)

A unit damaged by fire this year at Sasol’s troubled Lake Charles Chemical Project won’t achieve meaningful output until October.

That’s a month later than originally planned, Bloomberg reports.

The company indicated the last unit to be repaired from fire damage had experienced “some challenges” and meaningful output was delayed from previous guidance of September.

The Lake Charles complex in Louisiana has been beset by mismanagement and cost overruns, forcing the South African company to accelerate asset sales to reduce debt. The latest holdup follows a fire that damaged the site’s low-density polyethylene unit back in January.

“The unit is expected to achieve beneficial operation before the end of October,” rather than “before September” as previously planned, Sasol said last week. “Challenges were experienced in the completion of the restoration process, resulting in a slight delay.”

Bloomberg has the full story.