Page 54 - Apmor 2018

oil analysis

Fracking the Karoo in

South Africa

By Tilden Hellyer

kWh per GJ). The versatility argument in favour supply for a gas-to-liquid plant and other
of NG is strong and industry players are eager industries.
to convert. The problem for many in South While the current and potential demand for
Africa is their location. NG in South Africa NG is almost a certainty due to interest, the
Tilden Hellyer currently originates from two sources , namely actual available supply is far less certain and it
Mossel Bay and Mozambique. Mossel Bay’s gas should be stated that there is an equal chance
here are high hopes that shale gas will fields are in an advanced stage of decline and there might be nothing in the shale rock to be
be abundantly available in the Karoo are only expected to last for a further 6-7 years, extracted.
Tregion of South Africa, but history has whereas the gas fields in Mozambique are large The benefits to the economy from developing
shown that developing a shale gas industry and account for South Africa’s entire imported a shale gas market are apparent; however,
will no doubt be met with resistance from primary energy from natural gas (120-140 PJ like with most ventures that impede the
environmental and social activists regardless per year). The NG from Mozambique supplies environment, certain groups oppose the
of how lucrative the industry might be. Lessons Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Kwa-Zulu Natal. In developments. One of the greatest concerns
learned from the fracking industry of the order to receive NG in the other areas of South is the risk fracking will impose on the Karoo
United States ought to be applied to the South Africa, fracking may be the easiest option due water sources, both ground and surface water.
African context; however, vast differences exist to proximity to the source and the Karoo’s Water scarcity and the threat to contamination
in the political and legal climate. hypothetical volume. of current sources are the two major aspects
The fracking prospects in South Africa to consider in relation to water. Water scarcity
have been overshadowed by the costly The study area under review in the in South Africa is currently one of the major
and unnecessary nuclear program. Recent challenges facing all sectors of the economy
announcements made by the South African Karoo estimates the economically in the South-Western parts of the country and
government show that fracking has been recoverable gas to fall within the developing an industry highly reliant on water
given the stamp of approval while nuclear range of 5-20 trillion cubic feet. The is definitely going to face some opposition.
has suffered a major setback due to the lower range is considered ‘Small
unlawful procurement process. This comes Fracking as a process requires large volumes
at a time when the 2016 Integrated Resource Gas’ while the upper range is ‘Big of water, typically 1,000 m3 for drilling, 16,300
Plan is expected to pass through parliament, Gas’. The total natural gas supply m3 for hydraulic fracking with no water reuse,
outlining the energy roadmap for the in South Africa, including Sasol’s and 11,150 m3 in the cases where there is
foreseeable future. Gas will certainly play a synthetic gas, stands at 155-175 PJ technology to reuse water. Depending on the
more significant role in the energy mix which depth and number of wells drilled, the total
may further strengthen the call to frack the which is 2.5% of the total primary volume of water is in the region of 6,000,000
Karoo. Currently, the determinations require energy. – 45,000,000 m3. Taking these numbers into
that 3,126MW of baseload and/or mid-merit account, the capacity to supply water for shale
energy generation capacity is needed from gas- The addition of shale gas has the potential to gas development from the existing sources is
fired power generation to contribute towards increase this contribution significantly. Should not enough. In addition, the long-term impacts
energy security. Over and above the need for reserves be found, the drive to get the process on the source of water are a primary concern.
gas-to-power, natural gas (NG) has vast uses through the legal channels by many companies These impacts also refer to the chemicals
and interest in several industries. used in the fracking process that are vital in
and stakeholders will be that much greater. maintaining high efficiency in extracting and
The demand for NG in South Africa has not Depending on the size of these recoverable processing the natural gas from the shale rock.
been quantified in its entirety. Besides gas-to- reserves, shale gas may end up contending However, should this contaminated process
power, natural gas can be used to substitute with the gas-to-power procurement program water escape into the environment, either
other fuels in various industries. Sectors such in South Africa. Large local resources of gas will as surface spillage, flow back or as produced
as automotive or manufacturing largely use alleviate the need to import natural gas from water; it would compromise the surrounding
heavy fuel oil (HFO) or liquefied petroleum foreign sources, pay in foreign currencies and water bodies. Brackish water, or non-potable
gas (LPG) in their operations. These fuels are deal with international bureaucracies. The Big water has the potential to substitute this
more costly and environmentally taxing than Gas scenario assumes enough supply for two requirement but this complicates the process
liquefied natural gas (LNG) or NG. Furthermore, gas combined cycle turbine power stations, which oil companies prefer to avoid.
NG is easily transported, internationally each of 2 000 MW. This will surpass the current
supported, homogenous and can be more determination 3,126 MW, leaving an abundant Discussions around water vary, depending
efficiently used for power generation (more on where the water is sourced i.e. ground

54 | AFRICAN POWER Mining & Oil Review Vol 21, Issue 20, 2017