Acsa jet fuel master plan to be ready by April – How much does OR Tambo receive a day?

Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) states it will have a full jet fuel plan by April at the latest.

The Portfolio Committee on Transport received a presentation from Acsa CEO Mpumi Mpofu on Thursday outlining the state of the entity’s jet fuel capabilities.  

Refuelling at major airports was hampered on at least three occasions in December and January by infrastructure failures, prompting an oversight visit by the committee.

Five-year Acsa plan incoming

Acsa owns all jet fuel facilities across its network of nine provincial airports; but states that South Africa does not have sufficient expertise to refine jet fuel due to the closure of local refining capacity.

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The state-owned entity has commissioned a five-year jet fuel master plan that Acsa states will be ready by the end of March or during April.

“The study will provide a view of jet fuel supply requirements at each airport, noting the independent traffic forecasts and type of aircraft that will be used on the various routes,” stated Mpofu’s presentation.

“The study will also review the hydraulic capacity of each sub-system to identify bottlenecks,” the CEO explained.

Acsa’s current jet fuel strategy objectives are to prioritise fiscal prudence, manage assets efficiently, provide opportunities for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) involvement, and “enhance business continuity through collaboration with all stakeholders in the value chain for informed decision-making.”

New pipeline to be procured

To mitigate immediate risks of shortages, Acsa has introduced emergency stock storage to airport operators, which can be used at Acsa’s discretion.

The entity also wished to explore the prospect of moving fuel storage tanks outside of airport grounds to augment storage capacity, as well as the procurement of a dedicated jet fuel supply pipeline at OR Tambo International.

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OR Tambo is reliant on Transnet’s New Multi-Products Pipeline (NMPP), an underground line that carries refined petroleum products between Durban and Gauteng.

The airport receives roughly 24 million litres per week from the National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa (Natref) and two million litres via railcars.

“The airport has to use Transnet’s two x 10-million litre storage tanks in Jameson Park to enable the receipt of more than 20 million litres of jet fuel via NMPP per week,” Acsa clarified on Thursday.

Portfolio committee happy

Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Transport, Donald Selamolela expressed his satisfaction with the presentation.

“They are already rolling infrastructure to resolve challenges around fuel availability. [This] will go a long way in resolving issues of security of fuel supply in the medium term,” stated Selamolela.

Acsa can process two billion litres of jet fuel annually and is able to pump out 5.6 million litres daily through pumps operating at up to 12 000 litres per minute.

Storage capacities across all airports range from 80 000 litre tanks to some able to store three million litres and state the ability to refuel up to 23 aircraft at any given time across the county.

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