Sasol Limited interim financial report and declaration of dividend number 51 for the six months ended 31 December 2004 -
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For the period under review, after taking the material accounting standard changes into account, in US dollar terms, operating profit of US$1 054 million was 88% higher; attributable earnings of US$641 million was 82% higher; earnings per share of US$1,05 was 81% higher and headline earnings per share of US$1,13 was 102% higher than the comparable period under review.
The material accounting standard changes resulted in an increase in operating profit of US$76 million, attributable earnings of US$47 million, earnings per share of 8 US cents and headline earnings of 10 US cents above that of the comparable period under review.
Before taking the material accounting standard changes into account, headline earnings per share of $1,03 was 84% higher than the comparable period under review.
Capital expenditure during the period under review amounted to R5,8 billion. The main projects advanced were:
Project Turbo - the fuels enhancement and polymers expansion project which is scheduled for commissioning from the beginning of 2006;
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the GTL fuels projects in Qatar and Nigeria which are scheduled for start-up during the first quarter of 2006 and the end of 2008 respectively; and
the Arya Sasol Polymers joint venture to build a world-scale ethane cracker and polyethylene plants in Iran, which are scheduled for commissioning from the fourth quarter of 2005.
Gearing, which is defined as a percentage of net debt to shareholders' equity, was 42% at 31 December 2004, which is within the targeted range of 30% to 50% agreed by the Board.
The interim dividend declared of 230 cents is 7% higher than the comparable period under review and represents a dividend cover of 2,8 times which is a return to the preferred dividend cover range of 2,5 to 3,5 times.
sasol mining
Although production (24 million tons) was 7% lower, operating profit of R537 million was 3% higher mainly because of higher export coal prices which were about 60% above those of the comparable period under review. Coal exports represented 8% of total coal sales. The selling price of coal to Sasol Synfuels was about the same as in the comparable period under review.
sasol synfuels
Operating profit of R3 693 million was R1 453 million (65%) higher than in the comparable period under review mainly because of higher oil prices net of the hedged 30% portion of production (about R1,9 billion) and a 3% increase in production volumes (about R0,2 billion). Adverse currency effects amounted to about R0,9 billion. The business benefited from a reduction in depreciation charges of R218 million as a result of the accounting changes mentioned above.
sasol liquid fuels business
Operating profit for the period under review of R767 million was 26% higher than the comparable period under review, mainly because of higher retail sales volumes and refining margins, which were partly offset by the effects of the stronger rand and higher costs associated with the retail service station roll-out.
The dual brand retail network, Sasol and Exel, with more than 180 franchised and 140 dealer-owned outlets across South Africa, is advancing successfully. Sasol and Petronas agreed the proposed merger of their African liquid fuels businesses in a joint venture of Sasol Oil and Engen, and approval for this merger is awaited from the South African Competition Authorities. The Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) component of the planned merger is progressing well.
sasol gas
The operating profit of R471 million was R274 million (139%) higher than the result of the comparable period under review, mainly because of higher sales volumes following the introduction of natural gas from Mozambique in March 2004 and the associated restructuring of the business.
sasol synfuels international
The roll-out of the GTL fuel strategy continues to advance with the planned start-up of the Oryx plant in Qatar during the first quarter of 2006, and the anticipated appointment in the second quarter of