Natural
Gas World
March 31st, 2017
South Africa’s government will back shale gas
exploration in the country’s Karoo region, said the mineral resources minister
Mosebenzi Zwane (pictured below) in a speech March 30.
Based on the balance of available scientific evidence,
the government took a decision to proceed with the development of shale gas in
the Karoo formation of South Africa, he said.
He said that if production proves to be economic, “the
development of shale gas is expected to create direct and indirect employment
opportunities and contribute meaningfully to the country’s gross domestic
product. Other potential economic benefits of shale gas include business
development within local communities, including lower energy prices, creation
of black industrialists, employment, specialised skills and youth development.”
He noted that he is aware of the “risks and
challenges” associated with shale gas development, especially on water and on
the environment.
“In addition, the South African Government has
augmented the regulatory framework to ensure that the exploration of shale gas
resources is orderly and safely developed through technology called hydraulic
fracturing. Government has taken comprehensive measures to alleviate the risk
associated with the development of shale gas.”
In another speech a fortnight earlier, he said that
the Karoo basin is estimated to have 390 trillion ft³ in unproven
technically-recoverable shale gas resources.
(Credit: government)
He said that “a cautious approach” was being followed,
through a moratorium on the processing of applications.
“This was followed by the initiation of a technical
study of the use of hydraulic fracturing in the development of shale gas
resources. This is to ensure that the process is undertaken in a responsible
manner, having regard to the technical nature of the exploration process,
environmental and water impacts as well as socio-economic impacts of its
development,” he said.
South African shadow energy minister Gordon Mackay
cautiously welcomed the announcement, recognising “the huge potential shale gas
has to radically transform SA's economic landscape through the provision of
abundant cheap energy, the creation of jobs and the development of ancillary
industries. The highest possible environmental standards must be applied to exploration
and extraction with regular monitoring of the health of the underground
aquifers.”…
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