South Africa’s energy policy is going through a rethink in the highest corridors of power with the government declaring a waning interest in coal, and reconsidering its Integrated Resource Plan focus on nuclear and showing a keen focus on natural gas, including shale gas, and hydropower.
The discovery and possible exploration development of shale gas in the Karoo is set to be a game changer for the South
African economy. President Jacob Zuma pointed out during his State of the Nation address that the development of petroleum, especially shale gas, will be a “game changer” for the Karoo region and the South African economy.
The Shale Gas & Oil revolution has been well publicized and debated, with much of the discussion addressing the impact on society, environment and the economy.
Discussion to focus on challenges & opportunities
Amabhubesi has created a platform of discussion on the expectations for shale gas development with particular focus on which challenges and opportunities lie ahead with this type of development. Key stakeholders and role players with factual, statistical evidence will share the kind of potential that natural gas development can unlock for the country while focusing on the challenges that lie ahead yet developing the means and methods to carefully monitor all aspects of shale gas & oil
production.
Discover whether ‘safe exploration’ and exploitation of shale gas, will ensure that fracking is conducted “in a socially and environmentally balanced manner”. Evaluate the economic growth projections and outlook on employment and discuss how policy considerations including governments position paper – the Integrated Resources Plan on the uptake of shale gas.
Is Shale Gas & Oil the ‘game-changing’ opportunity that South Africa and Africa needs?
Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the interactive discussions on how shale gas will impact South Africa’s developmental goals.
Events objectives:
- Discover the Latest on Draft Regulatory Framework Policy
- Learn about industry practices and standards for safe exploration and production
- How to streamline community concerns with those of Government and Stakeholders
- How to develop Shale resources
- How to overcome environmental and water management challenges
- How to source the right technology to commercialize resources
- Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing(implementing successful shale gas projects)
- Learn about the most cost effective, innovative solutions, and emerging technologies related to water resources management, geological and geotechnical aspects
- Gather information what are the major risks for investors at this stage
- Politics, Businesses, Stakeholders & the Public – What are the Mitigating Factors?
Invited speakers:
- Jonathan Deal
CEO The Karoo Action Group
Jonathan is the founder and CEO of the Treasure Karoo Action Group. He published Timeless Karoo in 2007 and is a
member and past chairman of the Southern African Freelancers Association. Recipientof the coveted Goldman
Environmental Prize in 2013, he is sought after as a speaker at international conferences and was been selected to present at Al Gore’s International Climate Leadership School in Johannesburg in March 2014.
- Peter Rosewarne
Principal Hydrogeologist SRK Consulting
Peter graduated from Kingston University, London, in 1974 with a BSc Honours in Geology. He emigrated to South Africa
in 1975 taking up a post as regional geologist at the Geological Survey in Cape Town, initially carrying out geological
mapping in the Beaufort West area. He became involved in groundwater work in 1976 and transferred to the Department
of Water Affairs where he worked until 1982, producing a definitive study of groundwater in the Hex River Valley along the
way. This work formed the basis of an MSc thesis, the degree being awarded in 1984 from Rhodes University.
He joined the then-named Steffen Robertson and Kirsten in Johannesburg in 1982 working on various mining related projects before relocating to Cape Town in late 1984 to start a groundwater section in SRK’s local office. He now heads a team of 14 hydrogeologists, geochemists and technicians and has carried out projects in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania and Chile. Major recent clients include Eskom, Shell, Chevron, Skorpion Zinc and WREM International.
He has worked on many Karoo aquifers projects and became involved in groundwater issues related to Karoo shale gas in 2011. He is the project manager for the Karoo Groundwater Expert Group, set up by Shell in late 2011, which has published the Karoo Groundwater Atlas, volumes 1 and 2.
- Patrick Leyden
Partner Mining Energy and Natural Resource Webber Wentzel Attorneys
Patrick Leyden is a partner in Webber Wentzel’s Mining, Energy & Natural Resources Practice. He specialises in mining and
mineral law. His experience includes advising on matters of compliance related to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources
Development Act, No. 28 of 2002; advising local and international bullion banks on compliance with the Precious Metals
Act, No. 37 of 2005, the drafting and vetting of mining and corporate agreements; and the conducting of due diligence
investigations relating to financing transactions and mergers and acquisitions within the mining sector.
Patrick has been involved in various black economic empowerment transactions and restructurings as well as providing title opinions for local transactions, international listings and capital raisings. He has advised both local and international clients in respect of compliance with mining and mineral law in South Africa. Patrick has BA and a LLB degree from Rhodes University.
- Luke Havemann
Oil & gas ENS Africa
Dr. Luke Havemann specialises in oil and gas in the projects department at ENSafrica. He is the only practising attorney in South Africa who holds a PhD in the field, which he received from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, and where he was awarded the CB Davidson scholarship. Prior to joining ENSafrica, he founded the only Southern African law firm that was geared exclusively towards providing legal advice to the energy industry.
He holds the position of Consulting Editor: Oil and Gas for Energy Forecast - an African publication focusing on economic,
political, social and other issues relating to the energy sector, and has produced a critical analysis of the legal regime governing the United Kingdom’s offshore oil and gas industry, which was published as Chapter 9 of the 2nd edition of Greg
Gordon’s and John Paterson’s Oil and Gas Law: Current Practice and Emerging Trends.
- Prof Phillip Lloyd
Energy Institute – Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Dr. Philip Lloyd, UN IPCC co-coordinating lead author, [Nuclear Physicist!] and Chemical Engineer, and author of more
than 150 [189] refereed publications.
“The quantity of CO2 we produce is insignificant in terms of the natural circulation between air, water and soil. I am doing a detailed assessment of the UN IPCC reports and the Summaries for Policy Makers, identifying the way in which the Summaries have distorted the science.”- Google natural CO2 vs man-made CO2 for the real facts.
- Geoffrey Chapman
Trade Economist, SABS
Geoffrey Chapman is Trade Policy Expert at SABS and Guest columnist at Fin24.com. He currently works on the impact
standards have on the economy.
He has two primary roles at SABS, firstly, to determine the economic value of standardisation to the South African economy
and secondly, to evaluate new proposals for their economic benefits. In addition to this, he oversees South Africa’s WTO/
TBT Enquiry Point; while as a Guest columnist for Fin24 he was writing about technical barriers to trade and South Africa’s
TBT Enquiry Point.
Previously he was an Assistant Lecture at the University of Pretoria.
- Requier Wait
Lecturer, School of Economics, North-West University
Requier Wait is a lecturer in the School of Economics at the North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus). He is currently doing his PhD on the structure of petroleum fiscal systems for the oil sector in Africa.
Mr Wait’s research interests include the economics of oil and gas, FDI and Input-Output Analysis. His current research
considers the macroeconomic impacts of upstream oil sector investment and how host governments can incorporate
these impacts with the ‘government take’ statistic when designing petroleum fiscal systems.
Other focus areas include the potential economic impact of developing the Karoo’s shale gas reserves, and the impact electricity tariff increases will have on the South African mining sector as well as the mining supply chain.
- Koos Jordaan
Executive Technical Director, Master Drilling Group
In 1995 he started studying part-time qualifications in Mechanical Engineering Design at the Tshwane University of
Technology in South Africa. As well as a Bachelors diploma in International Technology Management through Groningen
University, Netherlands which he completed in 2000. He further completed a MBA through Bond University, Australia
during 2002.
His career started in 1995 at FEV Motorentechnik in Aachen, Germany as a Mechanical Training and Design Engineer.
In 1997 Koos joined Joy Mining Machinery in South Africa as a Design and Project Engineer. In 2001 he was appointed
as Engineering Manager at Master Drilling Pty Ltd in South Africa. Currently serving as Executive Director on the board
of Master Drilling Group Ltd. with various international operations. Koos’s responsibilities revolve around business
development and Technical Strategy/Management apart from his corporate responsibility since Master Drilling Group’s
listing on the JSE towards the end of 2012.
Download conference flyer (including programme and registration form) here.
Nick Yell says
There is absolutely no doubt that fracking for shale gas will be a game changer for the entire Karoo region - it will devastate it completely. Fact. Once the unique groundwater system has been polluted the existing and sustainable farming and eco-tourism activities of the Karoo will dry up and after 15-20 years of fracking the surrounding areas will become a wasteland. Game changer, indeed. Why is it that government, who are now suddenly “so Interested in natural gas opportunities” don’t improve their trade relations with Namibia and Mozambique who are both bursting to the gills with new offshore gas fields? Why is it that bilateral trade agreements are not being set up to harness this amazing energy potential while improving the economic output of the entire region? Yes, ask yourselves why this opportunity on our doorsteps, one which will harm no-one or the environment, is not being harnessed. Ask yourselves why government would rather put a fragile ecosystem - one with unique unbroken fossil record of 80-million years - with a growing and sustainable rural economy at stake when there are far better alternatives at hand. Ask yourselves why so many other responsible countries have turned their backs on the idea of fracking.
There can only be one answer to all of this - the promise of short term gains, a lack of capacity and imagination to create a sustainable production economy and no vision for the future has clouded our government’s judgement. Think of tomorrow, think of our heritage, think of the children. Nick Yell - Bikers Against Fracking.