Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act, 1996
R 385
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (Act No. 28 of 2002)RegulationsAmendment Regulations to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Regulations, 2020Chapter 9 : Operations and ManagementManagement of operations114. Fracture and fracturing fluid containment |
| (1) | A holder must conduct a risk assessment and submit a risk assessment report to the designated agency and to the competent authority as part of the application for Environmental Authorisation which report must— |
| (a) | describe the control and mitigation measures for fracture containment; and |
| (b) | document the basis for the sealing mechanism and demonstrate that adequate control measures will be implemented. |
| (2) | Faults and igneous intrusions that may impact the hydraulic fracturing seal mechanism must be researched and assessed and the assessment must be documented and referenced in the Hydraulic Fracturing Programme referred to in regulation 110(2)(b), in order to demonstrate that the risk of fracturing fluids migrating via faults and intrusions beyond the designated fracture zones has been mitigated. |
| (3) | Hydraulic fracturing must be monitored and recorded as stipulated in the Hydraulic Fracturing Programme referred to in regulation 110(2)(b) to ensure that well integrity is maintained. |
| (4) | Hydraulic fracturing fluid must be confined to the target zone and if the monitoring system contemplated in subregulation (3) or the water monitoring programme indicates that hydraulic fracturing fluid or hydraulic fracturing flowback is migrating outside the target zone, the holder must immediately— |
| (a) | suspend hydraulic fracturing until remedial action, that prevents the fluid migration, is completed; and |
| (b) | notify the designated agency and the Department of Water and Sanitation. |
| (5) | A holder must obtain the approval of the designated agency prior to resuming hydraulic fracturing operations suspended in terms of subregulation (4). |
| (6) | The designated agency may only issue a written consent for the recommencement of operations as contemplated in sub-regulation (5) after consulting with the department responsible for water affairs. |
[Regulation 114 inserted by section 2 of Notice No. R. 466 dated 3 June 2015]
