By Staff Writer
THE Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has completed the first phase of its investigation into the extent of petroleum resources of the Karoo for possible extraction.
The government has concluded 85% of Phase 1 of the survey for its Shale Gas Project in the Karoo Basin, said Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe in his budget speech last month.
The government has long seen the extraction of shale gas in the region as a way to increase energy independence, but the move to assess the scale of possible petroleum deposits was new, and followed the discovery of “microseepage of oil in the basin.”
Petroleum potential assessment begins stage two
“This project is aimed at understanding the petroleum resource potential and carrying out an environmental baseline in the area. Phase 2 of the project has officially commenced to acquire new high-resolution geophysical data using 2D seismic, airborne magnetic and magneto-telluric methods,” Mantashe said.
News of the completion of Phase 2 followed the department approving the survey late last year, to assess the extent of “petroleum and assess any potential geological risks related to the exploration for and the production of petroleum” in the southern Karoo Basin.
Karoo Basin petroleum risk mapping
At least six districts across the Northern, Eastern and Western Cape provinces were being covered in the research study. The land within the defined area consists of state-owned land, privately owned farmlands, commonage land, and communal land managed by tribal authorities.
The survey will assist with the “identification and delineation of areas” that could be considered too risky from an environmental point of view and should be excluded from shale gas development.
Karoo Basin exploration for energy independence
In his speech, Mantashe stressed that this type of oil and gas exploration was needed to enable South Africa to become more energy independent. This commitment to energy independence could be seen in the R46,1-million allocated to the Petroleum Agency South Africa (PASA) for the implementation of the Shale Gas Project.
Aside from the survey in the Karoo, he noted that recent oil discoveries in Namibia’s Orange Basin have led to considerable interest by oil and gas companies since it was believed that the Namibian discoveries extend southwards into South Africa.
He said the discovery of gas and condensate from Block 11B/12B in the South Outeniqua Basin had also proven that South Africa`s under-explored deep waters have significant potential for oil and gas.
“This has signalled a need to accelerate exploration efforts. Despite TotalEnergies leaving the block, there remains a good opportunity for other players to partner with the remaining operator and develop the block.”
The former South African national oil company SOEKOR’s survey of the area was done between 1966 and 1971. A new survey was needed as the data from that survey was outdated and of poor quality.
The survey in the Karoo consists of 2 246-line km of 2D reflection seismic surveys, 21 253-line km of airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys, and approximately 2 318 magnetotelluric stations, which will be deployed along the seismic profiles.
