It would seem that the Soutpansberg is fast becoming a mining hotspot.

Amidst the continued controversy surrounding CoAL’s (Coal of Africa Limited) Vele coal colliery near the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site and the acceptance of a new order mining right application by the same mining giant for another coal colliery in the Nzhelele area, the Soutpansberg is now also earmarked for gas exploration.

It was announced that CopaNet (Pty) Ltd has launched an application for gas exploration rights in terms of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act. This after CopaNet identified an opportunity for gas exploration within the Soutpansberg coal bed areas.

The application is for an area of just over 154 200ha, comprising 107 farms west of the N1, near Mopanie. The exploration programme entails the drilling of five test wells to determine whether or not there is enough methane to make the venture commercially viable. Before this, however, the exercise requires an environmental management plan to be compiled by an environmental impact assessment practitioner. To achieve this, CopaNet appointed Tshikovha Environmental and Communication Consulting. The scope of the environmental study includes a process of public participation and consultation with landowners of the affected farms to obtain consent to access the site and conduct exploration activities.

With regard to this, a stakeholders meeting to address possible environmental problems that may be caused by the proposed project was scheduled to take place at the civic hall in Louis Trichardt on Tuesday. The meeting was postponed, however. According to Mr Moudy Mudzielwana, he called off the meeting as stakeholders argued that the date was too short notice. Mudzielwana could not confirm a new date for the meeting.