Shale Gas in South Africa: Energy Discourse and the Making and Governing of Resources

Hemingway, Jack and Gormally-Sutton, Alexandra and Walker, Gordon (2024) Shale Gas in South Africa: Energy Discourse and the Making and Governing of Resources. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

This thesis is a study of the issues involved in the development of shale gas resources in South Africa, and of the challenges of implementing policies which have interconnected political, social, ecological, and economic implications. This research explores how shale gas narratives are shaped and used by the various stakeholders involved, and analyses the governance arrangements which would be necessary if shale gas exploitation at scale is to be realised, taking as a specific example that of groundwater governance. This research is intended to be relevant to various stakeholders, and to inform their decision-making processes and policy-implementation. This thesis consists of three papers, each addressing a specific aspect of the shale debate, together with an introduction, a literature review, an account of methodology, and a conclusion. Paper 1 is an exploration of the contested role of shale gas in South Africa’s “Just Energy Transition”, based on an analysis of the perspectives of the Commissioners of the Presidential Climate Commission. Using document analysis and interviews, the research identifies areas of consensus and dispute regarding the role of shale gas among key stakeholders, and draws out the particular interpretations of justice that they mobilise. The analysis reveals that the principles of restorative, distributive, and procedural justice feature prominently in the national energy transition narrative, but that there remain significant differences in approach to gas policy, and the interpretations of the principles of justice in the just energy transition. Paper 2 focuses on the use of resource estimates from the perspective of critical resource geography, and examines the deployment of resource-making practices and geo-imaginaries in the shaping of the national shale gas discourse; this paper draws on government documents, the media, and interviews to evaluate this specific aspect of evolving shale narratives. Key findings include the continued use of high-end shale gas resource estimates in government geo-imaginaries, that are identified as a significant factor in resource-making narratives. Further, it is argued that existing and imperfect data is being repackaged as new research, to maintain the preferred geo-imaginary narratives of the gatekeepers of geo-scientific knowledge, and to justify the continued mobilisation of state resources. Paper 3 analyses the multiple dimensions of groundwater governance relating to the development of unconventional oil and gas in South Africa, their complexity and adequacy. Based on interviews and stakeholder engagement, the research explores the roles of stakeholders, of policies, and of legislation, in the particular context of South Africa. Key findings include: 1) the need for continued stakeholder engagement, and follow-through on the outcomes of these processes; 2) the necessity for detailed groundwater-specific regulations to be drafted at the earliest opportunity; 3) the prevalence of significant governance gaps, particularly regarding regulatory and institutional capacity. This thesis contributes to wider debates about shale gas by providing an analytical appraisal of the politics of resource-making, governance and decision-making in the under-examined context of South Africa within its particular geographic and political setting. Through a mixed methodological approach, areas of contemporary policy debate are identified, and by expanding on the critical geographies literature, a unique insight into South Africa’s shale dialogue is provided. By expanding these theoretical approaches and examining direct governance implications, the thesis offers a detailed evaluation of shale gas policy and groundwater governance in South Africa.