Johannesburg - Sasol lowered estimated returns at its $11 billion Lake Charles chemicals project in the US and said it’s disputing a revised tax bill in
South Africa.
Sasol, the world’s biggest producer of liquid fuel from
coal, projects an internal rate of return of 7 percent to 8 percent at Lake Charles, which will
convert ethane into plastics and other products.
The range is based on “conservative” ethane prices and
compares with a previous estimate of about 8 percent, co-Chief Executive
Officer Steve Cornell told reporters on a call Monday.
The company reran the numbers after “limited structural
changes” to the market since February, when it last published long-term IRR
estimates, it said in an earlier statement. Sasol’s weighted average cost of
capital for the project is 8 percent.
The return estimate is lower “because of the views in the
industry primarily around polyethylene margins pushing it down,” Cornell said.
The cracker still remains cost competitive and is at the lower end of the cost
curve for ethylene producers, according to the company.
Sasol, which on Monday reported full-year earnings that beat
analyst estimates, said last year the cost of the project in Louisiana had escalated by almost 25
percent, prompting the company to make cuts elsewhere.
Capital expenditure at Lake
Charles reached $7.5 billion as of June 30 and the
project is on schedule and in budget, the company said Monday.
Tax Exposure
Sasol said it is disputing a revised assessment by the South
African Revenue Service for 2013 and 2014 that could result in a “potential tax
exposure” of 11.6 billion rand ($880 million). The company submitted an
objection and has resolved with SARS to suspend payment, it said.
Sasol’s earnings excluding one-time items for the year
through June fell 15% to 35.15 rand per share. That beat the 34.66 rand
average of analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Profit was hurt by a
stronger rand and lower oil price, the company said.
Sasol benefits when the rand is weaker because most of its
products are sold in dollars, while its costs are mainly in the South African
currency. The rand strengthened by 11% against the dollar over the
12-month period.
Sasol expects the rand to trade in a range of 13 rand to
14.50 rand per dollar in the current financial year, it said in the statement.
Average Brent crude oil prices are seen at $45 to $55 a barrel.