South Africa Examining Shale Gas Exploration Regulations

AllAfrica reported that the government of South Africa is working on a set of regulations aimed at making sure shale gas exploration neither threatens the country’s environment nor compromises “research projects linked to the Square Kilometre Array.”

As quoted in the market news:

[Thibedi Ramontja, the Director-General of South Africa’s Mineral Resources Department] said the regulations would be effective in dealing with the risks that shale gas exploration might pose to the environment.

Among other things, the draft regulations provide mechanisms for the assessment of the potential environmental impact of any proposed activities, for the protection of fresh water resources, and for the co-existence of shale gas exploitation and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.

‘The draft regulations, once finalised, will result in a regulatory framework that ensures safe extraction of gas, which will contribute to the diversification of South Africa’s energy mix, significantly boost South Africa’s economy and have positive effects on the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).’

Click here to read the full AllAfrica report.