Karoo residents ‘fracked’ off with giant Shell’s plans
Max Matavire
The proposed controversial gas exploration in the Karoo by Shell South Africa has angered the local community, with farmers in the area this week telling the giant petroleum company to “get out of the Karoo”.
Shell is investigating the drilling of about 24 wells in the Karoo in search of gas over a period of three years. At a stakeholders meeting held this week in Middelburg, angry residents accused the company of risking their underground water supply when the operations begin.
Last week, Shell allayed fears of any impact on the environment, adding that if this occured, the affected persons would be compensated. The company has been accused of failing to guarantee water safety if “fracking” goes ahead.
Fracking is hydraulic drilling in which huge amounts of water, laced with chemicals, are pumped down into shale beds up to 5km below the surface. This is what the Karoo community fears, as this could contaminate their groundwater.
Asked repeatedly if the company could guarantee no risk to the groundwater, Shell technical expert Tony Fortis aggravated matters by replying: “You cannot plan for every eventuality.”
Many residents and farmers at the meeting waved placards with “Don’t Frack with our Karoo.” The meeting was also to discuss the draft environmental management plan prepared by Shell’s consultants. The area that Shell hopes to explore covers 98000ha and covers the Western, Northern and Eastern Cape.
Fracking uses up to 6 million litres of water for each well dug. The water, laced with chemicals and other corrosive additives, is pumped down a drill shaft, then forced at very high pressure through apertures in the shaft into the surrounding shale rock bed which can be 5km below the surface.
When the rock bed is fractured, it releases gas that travels back up a separate shaft to be harvested as a source of electricity.
Derek Light, an attorney representing the landowners and the Karoo community, lashed out at the plan proposed by Shell, describing it as “not worth the paper it is written on”.
“I have read through 2000 pages but there is no scientific content, no site-specific data, no facts at all, that allow us to weigh the risk involved in what is being proposed and to enable us to comment,” said Light.
The landowners were also annoyed by Shell’s refusal to reveal the type of chemicals it will use to frack, or from where it will get the massive volumes of water required for the process.
Shell is waiting for the granting of the licence, but is facing stiff opposition from the Karoo farmers and communities. The company has argued that the country needs an alternative source of “clean energy”.
ARTICLE TAKEN FORM: http://www.thenewage.co.za/13254-1016-53-Karoo_residents_%E2%80%98fracked%E2%80%99_off_with_giant_Shell%E2%80%99s_plans
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