Sasol Limited (SSL)

[Timothy Smith]

Even as it cuts costs and slashes jobs like its global energy peers, Sasol (SSL -0.2%) is forging ahead with its largest ever project: an $8.9B investment in a U.S. gas processing facility that can produce 1.55M metric tons of ethylene.

It is a major bet on the U.S. shale gas revolution, and "a defining moment because it’s diversifying the company, both in terms of chemicals... and geographically,” CEO David Constable tells Financial Times.

Although SSL has an international presence, it relies on the South African market for more than 80% of its profits, but Constable estimates that 30% of the company's profits will come from Louisiana by the end of the decade if the cracker starts operating in 2018 as planned.