Cape Town - The ANC has been called on to “oppose ocean plundering” as the party ponders policy proposals that would pave the way for continued oil and gas exploration along South Africa’s coastline.
The party has pinned its hopes on resolving the energy crisis on oil and gas exploration with a proposal to “politically confront” any potential opposition.
The sixth policy conference at Nasrec saw delegates debate the mining policy and formulate interventions for the energy crisis this weekend.
While it is unclear how the ANC would politically confront opposition to oil and gas exploration and subsequently avoid litigation, environmental groups have warned the move could stifle the ongoing debate around oil and gas exploration.
In its discussion, documents before the conference, a call was made “to continue to encourage increased minerals and gas exploration, for current and future growth of the economy and job creation”.
The discussion documents on the mining policy further propose increased exploration for oil and gas as an intervention to high fuel prices.
“It is through increased exploration activity that the South African mining sector will continue to grow in future years. It is also through mining exploration that South Africa and the wider region will be able to ascertain the strength of its participation in the production of energy minerals required to power the world's ongoing energy transition, such as vanadium, copper, cobalt, nickel and platinum,” the document read.
To mitigate this and the soaring fuel prices the proposed interventions include: increased exploration of oil and gas by South Africa finding its own sources of crude oil through opening its offshore acreage to domestic and international oil companies for exploration of oil and gas.
The proposal comes as the debate on a seismic oil and gas exploration project by energy giant Shell off South Africa's Wild Coast region rages on.
In December, the Makhanda High Court granted an interdict against Shell’s seismic survey along the Wild Coast.
This was the second application made in the same court to stop oil multinational Shell’s seismic survey along South Africa’s Wild Coast.
The matter was heard again in the Gqebera High Court when environmental groups challenged the 2014 decision by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to grant Shell an exploration right off the coast of South Africa.
In March, the Western Cape High Court last also halted Australian geoscience company Searcher from continuing with a seismic survey off the West Coast, pending the outcome of its legal challenge. This followed an application by West Coast fishing communities in January to have the seismic survey interdicted.
Environmental groups have poked holes in the policy proposal.
AfriOceans Conservation Alliance CEO and finder Lesley Rochart said they to object the environmentally damaging practice of any proposed seismic survey along the coast of South Africa, now and in the future.
“We, therefore, demand that the power vested in our government upholds the constitutional rights of the people of our country, which includes the right to have our oceans and other ecosystems protected against harm of any kind.
Rochart said while unlocking billions of rand to GDP and job creation for South Africans was justified, what was swept under the carpet of short-sightedness was the reality climate crisis caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
“Climate change has accelerated the 6th Mass Extinction Event and we cannot afford to lose any of our already endangered marine life through the harmful impacts of seismic testing,” Rochart said.
She warned that the seismic survey could result in the loss of ecosystems and the wildlife they support and the lives of thousands of people was imminent due to the climate change effects of climate change such as increased droughts, floods and displacement.
Green Connection’s strategic lead Liz McDaid said while the ANC policy discussion acknowledged the climate crisis and the need for a just transition it however was backward particularly on the liquid fuels.
“It not only ignores our climate obligations but also pursues the myth of gas as a transition fuel. Instead of encouraging open debate about our energy future, the liquid fuels statement seeks to silence opposition in stark contrast to the rest of the documents call for a renewal of constitutional democracy,” McDaid said.
She said called on the ANC to “oppose ocean plundering” and implement a resolution to recognise a safe and sustainable environment as a human right.
“If the ANC is serious about a renewal and constitutional democracy, then they should welcome open debate and meaningful discussion on the long term energy security for the country any attempt to close down debate should be met with resistance by all democratic forces in the country,” McDaid said.
Yesterday Energy Minster Gwede Mantashe told Weekend Argus commissions would debate the mining policy until 10pm.
Speaking to media on the sidelines, Mantashe said proposal made around oil and gas exploration would be hot topics at the conference.
“The main issue is the contention with moving completely to renewable energy and ignoring the importance of base load and the ability to appreciate that we are having an energy crisis but more we are having a base load crisis,” Mantashe said.
He said the aim was to ensure that the development of renewable energy sources continues alongside the development of base load.
Asked how the ANC intended to approach the stifling of oil and gas exploration through the courts, Mantashe said: “We must do the exploration, I’ll give an example, two companies leave here, Total and Shell and go to Namibia and make huge finds of oil and that stretches into South African waters, should we allow that to go to thin air? Or should we exploit it and use it for economic growth and development and that is the question we need to answer,” Mantashe said.
The party’s other proposals include kick-starting the bio-fuels programme and bolstering refining capacity.
The plan is to support a mechanism to reduce the use of crude oil for fuel requirements by at least 10%. The ANC anticipates that this will create jobs in the sugar and sorghum industries and improve the balance of payments.
Weekend Argus