* Moratorium was in place since April 2011
* SAfrica says study eased safety concerns
* Reserves seen among world’s biggest of shale gas
* Exploitation seen as “game changer” for economy
By Wendell Roelf
CAPE TOWN, Sept 7 (Reuters) – South Africa has lifted a
moratorium on shale gas exploration in the Karoo region, where
the extraction technique of “fracking” might help tap some of
the world’s biggest reserves of the energy source and deliver a
big boost to the local economy.
Collins Chabane, a minister in the President’s office , said
the cabinet had decided to lift the moratorium, imposed in April
last year, after a study eased safety concerns over the method
which has been highly criticised by environmentalists.
“When (the results of the study) … came back, they
recommended that it was clearly safe for us to have that
programme of exploration of shale gas,” Chabane told reporters
on Friday.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves pressurised
water, chemicals and sand being pumped underground to release
gas trapped in rock formations. Some landowners and
environmentalists say the process can pollute water supplies.
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