NATIONAL WATER ACT 36 OF 1998: REGULATIONS FOR THE USE OF WATER FOR EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION OF ONSHORE NATURALLY OCCURRING HYDROCARBONS
Notice Title: National Water Act 36 of 1998 (“NWA”): Regulations for the Use of Water for Exploration and Production of Onshore Naturally Occurring Hydrocarbons
Government Notice: GN 5582 in GG 51642 on 22 November 2024
Commencing date: Comments to be submitted on or before 13 January 2025
The Minister of Water and Sanitation, in terms of section 26(1)(g) of the NWA, read together with GNR 999 of 16 October 2015, published the Regulations for the use of water for exploration and production of onshore naturally occurring hydrocarbons that require stimulation, including hydraulic fracturing and underground coal gasification, to extract, and any incidental thereto that may impact detrimentally on the water resource for comments.
The purpose of these Regulations is to protect a water resource so as to avoid and minimise detrimental and cumulative impacts on the water resource by the controlled activity.
In these Regulations, “Controlled activity” means the controlled activity declared by the Minister by notice in the Government Gazette No. 39299, Notice 999 of 2015 in terms of section 38 of the Act in respect of the exploration and production of onshore naturally occurring hydrocarbons that requires stimulation, including hydraulic fracturing and underground gasification, to extract, and any activity incidental thereto that may impact detrimentally on the water resource.
Once it commences, these Regulations will apply throughout the Republic of South Africa to all onshore exploration, mining, and production operations for controlled activities (as per these regulations) that may impact detrimentally on a water resource.
Members of the public are invited to submit comments on or before 13 January 2025. For a copy of the Government Gazette Notice click here.
For more information or assistance please contact Jan Nel at jan@shangoni.co.za.
