South Africa
Beaufort West
Geoscience for Health, Groundwater and the Environment
To better understand the potential impact of geo-resource exploration activities
Karoo Deep Drilling Project
South Africa has an estimated 485 trillion ft3 (13 733.7 billion m3) and 390 trillion ft3 (11 043.6 billion m3) of technically recoverable natural gas from shale reservoirs. However, current South African legislation does not provide for an environmental assessment of shale gas exploitation in the Karoo by hydraulic fracturing. Thus, the Council for Geoscience Karoo deep drilling shale gas project will serve as a baseline study for future shale gas research work and play a vital role in the review of the country’s petroleum regulations. The Karoo deep drilling project is a five-year geo-environmental baseline programme designed to better understand the potential impact of geo-resource exploration activities (minerals, gas, deep groundwater, and geothermal) on the Karoo geo-environment. Particular focus is given to the possibility of future shale gas exploration. Beaufort West was selected because it lies within the shale gas “sweet spot”.
Map showing the area earmarked as the “shale gas sweet spot” in the vicinity of Beaufort West, the chosen site for the Karoo deep drilling project.
The main aim of the project is to develop an environmental baseline through geoscientific investigation including subsurface drilling and monitoring. The benefits of multidisciplinary research became evident when the Council for Geoscience integrated structural geological mapping and geophysical surveys to uncover a significant and previously undefined groundwater aquifer. The groundwater aquifer was drilled, and subsequent tests indicated a sustainable water supply of approximately 33 million L water per month. This translates to an estimated value of R 984 500 to a possible R13 000 000 per month, as per the level 6B water restriction tariffs in the Western Cape Province. The municipality is still pumping sustainably from the Council for Geoscience borehole at 6 L/s, as calculated by the organisation’s hydrogeologists.
Drilling operation at the site of the 1 402 m deep borehole, R01-BW, in Beaufort West.
