Water Wheel March/April 2020: Hydraulic Fracturing

Abstract

HYDRAULIC FRACTURING Efforts to extract shale gas resources in South Africa have been under intense public scrutiny in recent years. The government has been looking into hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ in the Karoo as a way to broaden South Africa’s energy mix. This has been met with push-back from lobby groups and environmental organisations that are concerned about its impact on agricultural water resources and long-term socioeconomic prospects in the region. There are also concerns about the impact of such plans on the country’s already high per capita carbon footprint in the context of the current climate crisis and South Africa’s international obligations to reduce its fossil fuel dependency. Government and energy companies are reportedly still contemplating their next moves in this regard. At the moment no applications for shale gas rights can proceed until the necessary technical regulations are promulgated by the Minister of Environmental Affairs, Janse Rabie, Agri SA’s Head of Natural Resources, indicated.

Categories