The Council for Geoscience (CGS) has embarked on a three-year research programme involving a range of geoscientific investigations associated with the drilling of a vertical deep-core borehole to better conceptualise some of the geological issues related to potential shale gas resources in South Africa. The study area is around the Western Cape town of Beaufort West, the largest town in the arid Karoo region, which is considered to be the most prospective area for shale gas development in the country, with technically recoverable shale gas volumes that could range from 30-trillion cubic feet (tcf) to 500 tcf, according to the Petroleum Agency of South Africa.
