South African Clash Erupts Over Gas and Radio Telescope Projects

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info--In South Africa's Karoo wilderness region, there is a clash looming between two state-of-the-art technologies. While Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) (The Hague, Netherlands) waits to see if the Petroleum Agency of South Africa to deliver a decision in August about whether the company can move into the exploration phase for the extraction of gas resources in the region, concerns are being raised on how a gas project could harm South Africa's chances of becoming the host for the world's largest radio telescope.

Shell has said that it will invest $200 million on exploration for the project in which hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, would be used. At a recent public meeting on the project, strong concerns were raised by farmers, landowners and environmental activists about the effect fracking could have on underground water sources. Fracking uses water, sand and chemicals pumped into the rock under pressure to allow shale gas to flow. Questions were also asked about the type of chemicals used in the process and what naturally occurring chemicals might be released by the fracking process. Shell is obliged to hold public meetings and complete an environmental management plan in terms of its application for an exploration license for the 90,000 square kilometers it wishes to explore in the western Karoo Basin.

The country's deputy director of science and technology, Val Munsami, has reported to members of parliament that the country's international partners in the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) radio telescope project were asking questions about Shell's proposed project. South Africa and Australia are shortlisted for the project for which the winning bid will be announced in early 2012.

SKA will take an investment of $2.8 billion to construct and then require an annual investment of between $208 million and $280 million to maintain and operate over a 50-year lifespan.

The SKA project is being funded by 16 major international science agencies and has been designed to use 3,000 giant antenna dishes to look back into the universe to a time when the first stars were formed. The proposed South African SKA site is at Carnarvon in the Northern Cape, where the majority of the dishes would be erected. Receiving stations, each with 30 dishes would be set up in another eight African countries including Ghana and Madagascar. The area is also home to the Sutherland observatory and radio telescope cluster, which benefits from the pristine atmosphere and absence of urban light reflection and communications interference.

Munami said that the Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act regulated the area in terms of radio interference. This gives the sole right to regulate the zone in which SKA would operate to the South African Minister of Science. He added that there were ongoing discussions with the department of energy on the matter.

International SKA technical teams are currently running radio frequency interference (RFI) tests in South Africa and Australia. Anita Loots, associate director of the South African SKA team, said that it was key that nothing untoward happened during the RFI tests. Although the fracking would happen after the tests, the exploration activity would produce strong signals, and all types of cell phones and radio equipment should be kept out of the area.

There is a strong pro-gas exploration lobby, and both sides of the issue are quoting the pros and cons of worldwide concerns about fracking and groundwater quality. The SKA issue brings an international dimension to the discussion. South Africa needs the new energy source which the Karoo shale oil project might provide.

Apart from the kudos of hosting the radio telescope project, the country also needs the inflow of high-end technical expertise for the SKA project, which would spin off into downstream projects, as well as the academic and technical education system of the country.

For a related news item see February 4, 2011, article - South Africa's 'Game Changer' Karoo Shale Gas Prospects Face Environmental Interrogation.

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