Platts: South Africa's controversial shale gas plans edge closer

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is one step closer in South Africa after the Petroleum Agency South Africa Tuesday said it would process existing applications for permits to explore shale gas in the environmentally sensitive Karoo.

The companies affected include Shell, Falcon Oil and Gas and Challenger Energy's Bundu Oil and Gas Exploration, PASA's legal and compliance officer Michael Thovhakale said.

Thovhakale said PASA would only process pending applications received before February 1, 2011, and that the moratorium on new applications remained in place and would continue until South Africa's mineral resources minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi announced otherwise.

"We have no indication at this stage as to when this might happen," he said.



Thovhakale was also unable to comment on when final regulations governing the exploration and development of shale gas resources will be published nor when permits are likely to be awarded

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