Fracking will inject healthy sum into economy and create work for the jobless
THE LETTER by Angela Conway on behalf of the Southern Cape Land Coalition et al on fracking, “Only the elite will benefit from the government’s plan for fracking in the Karoo” (Cape Times February 14) refers.
Their rather intense dislike of fracking appears to have two prongs. First is the potential for destroying the environment.
Their letter would have had more bite had they attacked one of the major causes of pollution in the country, and indeed the world; namely, huge coalfired power stations. In this country that would apply to those in the process of being built and those that are planned. However, these are not in her backyard. Clearly what is in their backyard is the Karoo.
It is also a place that has a substantial amount of natural gas, and ironically natural gas is the answer to the pollution caused by coal-fired power stations. “The sudden abundance of natural gas has drastically reduced American energy bills while curbing greenhouse gas emissions.” (The Economist, December 21)
The Karoo treasure house is potentially large by any measure. It is estimated at 485 trillion cubic feet, the fifth largest in the world. In the US with 575 tcf of gas held in shale rock, fracking will add 4 percent to the GDP by 2020 and by then it will have created up to 1.7 million jobs – far more than the car industry provides.
It is estimated that in South Africa the utilisation of only 50 tcf will add $20 billion (R217bn) to our economy and create 700 000 jobs. Econometrix has determined that if only one tenth of the estimated amount of shale gas is extracted, tens of thousands of jobs will be created.
Can this country afford to throw away the opportunity?
Possible pollution is undoubtedly a problem and the major issue is the security of scarce water sources in the Karoo. However, protection is already encapsulated in legislation and the proposed regulations gazetted last year (lack of space prevents me from expanding on the efficacy of the legislation, but there is no doubt that currently it is all we require).
There is, unfortunately, also no doubt that the present government is pathetic as to its administrative abilities and we must thus ensure that environmental laws are administered scrupulously. Here a collective voice may become necessary in the future.
As to sourcing water there is no doubt that the cost of piping it in will not present a financial problem. As to pollution it is estimated that little will occur. Currently drilling goes 6.4km down, way below underground water sources, and is able to move more than a mile to one side. With satellite technology it can hit a target one metre across. Only a small part of the surface is disturbed.
Shell and other oil companies are now using the Distributed Acoustic System which makes fracking more efficient than what the industry was until recently. It monitors the water, sand and chemicals pumped underground. By seismic profiling, potential problems such as blockages or leaks are spotted immediately, and before they become serious.
The second prong, the assertion that only a few high-profile individuals will benefit from fracking and that consequently fracking must be stopped entirely, carries little weight. The particularly large number of jobs that will ensue from fracking negates the proposition.