Fracking in the Karoo put on hold. Good news for conservation in the Karoo.
At a South African parliamentary cabinet meeting on Thursday 21 April 2011 a moratorium on oil and gas exploration in the Karoo region was announced.

The controversial method of fracking was to be deployed in the region to
release commercially viable oil and gas reserves for commercial use.

The Karoo is an ecologically sensitive region which is high on
the conservation agenda of South Africa. It has scarce water
resources and consequently a very sensitive ecological balance.

“Cabinet has endorsed the decision by the department of minerals
to invoke a moratorium on licenses in the Karoo, where fracking
is proposed,” the government said in a statement.

Petrochemical group Sasol (SOLJ.J), Anglo American (AAL.L) and
Falcon Oil and Gas (FO.V) are among those eyeing shale gas in
the region. Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) is leading the pack with
exploration rights to 90,000 sq km (34,750 sq miles).

“We have noted the South African cabinet’s endorsement of the
decision of the department of minerals, and we will seek clarity
from the department on the full implications,” a Shell
spokesperson told Reuters.

Karoo farmers and conservationists are concerned about the
possible impact of hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” in which
drillers blast millions of liters of water, sand and chemicals
at high pressure into underground rock to create cracks which
facilitates the extraction of gas and oil for commercial use.

“The department made a decision a while back, and cabinet has
endorsed the decision,” cabinet spokesperson Jimmy Manyi said.

He told Reuters the department of minerals and resources (DMR)
would lead a task team to explore the implications of fracking,
which would include the departments of trade and industry as
well as science and technology.

“The multi-departmental task team is going to make sure that all
angles are covered in terms of government getting proper
information about the implication of fracking,” he said.

Manyi did not give a timeline for when the research would be
concluded but said the moratorium would remain in place until
“there is conclusive evidence that there will be no unintended
consequences on the environment.”

Applications already submitted will be retained until a finding
is made.

“nothing will be approved until all the research is carried out,
concluded and pronounced on,” Manyi said.

The Karoo region, home to rare species such as the mountain
zebra and riverine rabbit, may hold vast deposits of natural gas
in shale rock deep underground. This could be a valuable
resource for the Karo in the future but until more conclusive
information is available, the Karoo will remain one of South
Africa’s ecological gems.

Source – Reuters.?