Exploration for shale gas in South Africa is likely to begin prior to the nation conducting political elections next year, a high-level government official told reporters.
Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies told reporters on Thursday, after the nation’s cabinet convened meetings, that the issue must move forward during the present administration, according to SAPA. The commentary comes less than 12 months after the nation lifted a moratorium, according to Agence France-Presse.
“We want to move before the end of this administration,” the minister told reporters on Thursday, according to the news source. “We need to advance the work on taking a decision on shale gas exploration.”
Shale gas is one key energy source that the largest economy on the African continent is strongly considering, AFP reports. Another is nuclear power in the nation that is largely dependent on coal.
The Karoo region in South Africa, which is akin to a desert, is believed to hold one of the biggest deposits of shale, which remains untapped. These reserves are believed to be bigger than those of Mozambique, the minister said, noting huge discoveries in its northwesterly neighbor have emerged during the past 36 months.
“The gas fields of Mozambique which have just opened have about a hundred trillion cubic metres of gas, and the shale gas deposit – some of the estimates would suggest that it is multiples of the Mozambican,” Davies said during the briefing, according to AFP. “If this was the case, this could be a very, very significant game changer in terms of the energy situation in South Africa.”
The decision to move forward with fracking came after the cabinet convened three days of meetings last week, he said. The effort drives toward spurring investment and the creation of jobs, which are in peril as commodity prices slump and pose challenges for economic growth.
Latest posts by GEOVIA (see all)
- Join the GEOVIA User community - July 13, 2021
- GEMS Software Update - June 21, 2021
- Reducing Impacts on Water - May 25, 2021
