https://www.miningweekly.com

There are serious weaknesses in enviro plans of companies wishing to explore for shale gas – activist

1st August 2014

By: Zandile Mavuso

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Features

  

Font size: - +

Following the submission of a letter by Treasure the Karoo Action Group (TKAG) to President Jacob Zuma last week, request- ing him to declare a fresh moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in South Africa, TKAG CEO Jonathan Deal states that government has to review how shale gas will be a sustainable and economic ‘game changer’ holistically.

Mining Weekly reported last week that untested estimates indicated that South Africa could have more than 300-trillion cubic feet of shale gas in the Karoo basin, which proponents believe could be exploited to help the country diversify its coal-heavy electricity mix and even, potentially, to produce transport fuels.

However, Deal indicated during the Shale Gas Conference, held in Randburg, on July 23, that the sustainability of shale gas exploration has not yet been fully analysed and considered by government.

“Many have defined the possibility of shale gas exploration in South Africa as being a potential game changer; however, whether this game changer is sustainable and economical for the entire country is questionable,” Deal pointed out.

He highlighted that in government’s view, shale gas exploration is perceived as being an answer to unemployment, energy revenue and greenhouse-gas issues, while the negative impact of fracking in the area is not considered.

Fracking is a technology used for the extraction of unconventional gas, such as shale gas, which involves a vertical well that is drilled to a depth of between 2 000 m and 6 000 m, after which the precision drilling bore turns to drill horizontally for a few thousand metres.

Fracking involves the high-pressure injection of sand, water and chemicals into gas-bearing rock, which essentially fractures the rock, allowing the gas
to flow to the surface of the well, after which it can be harnessed.

Although Zuma indicated in his State of the Nation address, on June 17, that the shale-gas option would be pursued within the framework of the county’s environmental laws, Deal noted that this is not the case.

“There are fatal flaws in the environmental management plans by the companies who wish to explore for shale gas in the Karoo. Also, known and potentially negative impacts of shale gas development, flawed investigation into shale gas mining by the South African government and several other considerations are all concerns we have about this project,” explained Deal.

He pointed out that the benefits that govern-ment highlights about shale gas are all in the future, past the exploration phase, but what is overlooked is the actual exploration and how that will impact on the Karoo and its surrounding areas.

“It would make a big difference if our govern-ment looked at the consequences that people who would be affected by the fracking would have to live with as a result of the fracking taking place.”

Deal argued that it remains government’s responsibility to protect and consider its citizens and how such decisions taken could impact on their livelihood.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION