Royal Dutch Shell
is facing opposition to its plans to seek shale gas in South Africa’s
semi-desert Karoo region, as farmers fear methods used to extract it
will contaminate water and harm the environment.
The outcome of
whether Shell is allowed to proceed could affect prospects for other
oil and gas companies in the Karoo, which may hold substantial deposits
of gas in shale.
This gas can now be
exploited due to new techniques and could bring a much needed fresh
source of energy to Africa’s largest economy, which is heavily reliant
on coal.
