By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) Minister Gwede Mantashe says the current moratorium on the development of the country’s shale gas resources would be lifted.
Mantashe addressed the power and energy professionals from across the globe at an energy conference on Wednesday.
The three-day event is hosted by Enlit Africa at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
The country would go ahead with the development of its oil and gas resources, despite Court challenges. South Africa needed oil and gas. He was also seeking to revive the State-owned oil company, Petrosa, which had been subjected to “asset-stripping”.
Mantashe’s comment comes just a day after the Supreme Court of Appeal granted two civil society organisations a leave to appeal the authorisation of a proposed 3 000MW gas plant by Eskom.
The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) and groundWork approached the SCA after the North Gauteng High Court dismissed their case, which sought to overturn the environmental authorisation for the combined cycle gas power plant granted to Eskom in December 2019.
Mantashe told business heads that his department will not stop fighting.
“We are battling with the exploration of gas and oil, we stay in court, it is one process that we are prepared to engage.
“We are going to endure, people can take us to court as many times as they can. We will continue with gas and petroleum exploration because we have a lot of potential.
“Our gas in the Karoo has been tested, experimented and it has proven to be economical. So, we are going to remove the moratorium on shell gas.
“The exploration of gas everywhere is challenged, but we will continue with it. Oil and gas are going to be a game changer for our economy, our economy is not growing but we have a duty to make it grow,” said Mantashe.
He said his department plans to procure more gas and oil power, which he hopes will not be challenged.
“Environmentalists veto every development if they don’t like it and therefore, gas to power is taken to court all the time. There is a 2000MW storage in Richards Bay by Eskom, it was taken to court. Eskom won the case and they have appealed that case.
“We are going to issue another 3000MW gas to power and we are hoping that we will be able to go with it.
“We are also going to issue a request for proposal for procurement of 2500MW for nuclear energy, we have Koeberg, we must increase that capacity, it is reliable,” he added.