The Ministry of Science and Technology has moved to assure the public that controversial plans for hydraulic fracking in the central Karoo will not threaten the country’s chances of hosting the world’s largest radio telescope – the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).
“We will ensure that the SKA is not jeopardised by the proposed fracking,” Deputy Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom said on Tuesday. “We will ensure that none of our environmental considerations, water, resource considerations, or our astronomy endeavours will be jeopardised by proposed hydraulic fracturing.”
No final decision has been made on the proposed fracking, as the Department of Minerals has imposed a moratorium on new applications to explore for shale gas pending it drawing up policy on the issue.
The Department of Science and Technology would ensure that anything posing a risk to the SKA bid would have to go through an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Petroleum giant Shell’s plans to frack for shale gas in the Karoo sparked an outcry.
Hydraulic fracturing is a technique for extracting shale gas from deep underground by pumping a pressurised mixture of water, sand and chemicals down drill holes.
Concerns have been raised over the possible pollution of ground water.
Briefing journalists before the department’s budget vote debate, Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor said the government remained confident that it would win the bid to build the multibillion- dollar telescope.
If it did not win, it would nevertheless have achieved the goal of building an “excellent Meerkat” – a smaller telescope.
South Africa is competing with Australia for the contract to build the SKA.
Pandor said the department, as stipulated in the Astronomy Act, had the right to protect the geographical area where the SKA would be built from light or radio interference, which – among other elements – could adversely affect the SKA and other telescopes such as the one in Sutherland.
“Clearly if any project or activity were to be a threat to our astronomy facilities, we would use the act,” Pandor said.
Anti-fracking lobby group Treasure Karoo Action Group (TKAG) has urged MPs to heed their concerns.
In a letter to the National Assembly’s science and technology committee, the group complained that Shell was given a chance to brief the committee on its plans.
Fracking was “highly controversial”. Inviting only the pro-fracking lobby and not those in opposition would open the committee to perceptions of bias, TKAG national co-ordinator Jonathan Deal said.
Shell was expected to brief the committee at 10am today.
All parties supported Pandor’s budget yesterday.
The department has been allocated R4.4 billion for the financial year, of which about 58 percent will be split between the seven public entities reporting to the department.
Pandor got flak from some opposition MPs over her push for her department to control research councils, including the Medical Research Council, which under health, and the Agricultural Research Council, that falls under the agriculture department.
“I’m not empire building, but there should be a focus on research and development,” she said. - Cape Times