Hydrofracking: FF Plus wonders what is brewing
23 October 2019
The FF Plus takes note of and is deeply concerned that the Department of Minerals and Energy is apparently determined to extract shale gas in the Karoo, regardless of the disadvantages. This is the only conclusion that can be drawn from recent media reports and the answer to a written question by the FF Plus.
Opposition to the extraction of shale gas increased in 2008 when hydrofracking was seriously considered and investigated as a possible method of extraction. It is assumed that the natural gas is trapped in shale (crumbly compacted clay) more than two kilometres below the surface.
The tiny cavities in which the gas is trapped are so small that the gas cannot be extracted by means of traditional methods. However, if these cavities are forced open, the gas can collect in larger cavities before it is brought to the surface.
Hydrofracking is exactly what the name says: water (mixed with certain chemicals) is pumped through tunnels that run through the shale at immense pressure so that it breaks the shale apart. This allows the gas to escape and it, along with the water and certain radioactive substances, can then rise to the surface.
The biggest problems with hydrofracking are the possible overutilization and pollution of the Karoo's scarce water sources. This means that the relatively short-lived benefit of extracting the gas could damage the vulnerable region to such an extent that it becomes permanently unusable.
On the 4th of July 2019, the Supreme Court of Appeal brought an end to all prospecting with the intention of shale gas extraction by setting aside the regulations according to which it was being done. Soon after, on the 10th of July, the Minister of Minerals and Energy, Mr Gwede Mantashe, announced that shale gas was indeed going to be extracted, but simply by making use of other methods.
The FF Plus asked the Minister in a written question to reveal more details about these other methods and he responded by saying that the research is still being conducted. This question was signed on the 15th of October, but on the 21st of October the Cape Argus reported that three companies were granted rights for shale gas exploration in the Karoo.
In the report reference is made to the paralysing drought that has had the Karoo in its grip for the past six years. According to the report, the Department sees shale gas exploration as a way to create economic alternatives in the semi-desert region.
The FF Plus finds it incomprehensible that the Department is bent on extracting shale gas while the region is actually ideal for generating solar power (photovoltaic energy). It is a technology that requires no extra water, does not pollute the environment and is permanently reconcilable with established livestock farming.
If Karoo residents are wondering what Minister Mantashe has up his sleeve, they are justified.
Issued by Wynand Boshoff, FF Plus MP and chief spokesperson: Minerals and Energy and provincial leader: Northern Cape, 23 October 2019
