Shell confirms intention to exit SA operations

The energy company made the decision after reviewing its downstream and renewables business across all regions and markets, the website reported, citing Shell.

Local media, including the Sunday Times and City Press, reported that Shell plans to exit South Africa, where it has about 600 forecourts and has operated since 1902.

Shell and BP Plc’s southern African unit jointly own the Sapref refinery — the nation’s biggest — in Durban on the country’s east coast. The 180 000 barrel-a-day facility halted operations ahead of a sale in 2022 and was subsequently damaged by floods.

The government published new rules in 2022 that require refiners to meet low-sulphur fuel specifications by 2023, which rendered most of the nation’s fleet obsolete, according to a lobby group representing the fuel manufacturers.

Shell in 2020 said it was reviewing its shareholding in Sapref.