Agri SA launches court proceedings against granting of shale gas exploration rights

Agricultural organisation Agri SA has launched court proceedings in the Pretoria High Court against the granting of environmental authorisations and explorations rights for shale gas to Africa-focused oil and gas exploration and development company Rhino Oil and Gas. Although the authorized exploration activities by Rhino Oil and Gas will not entail actual drilling, the current legal dispensation in relation to oil and gas in South Africa affords holders of exploration rights the exclusive and automatic entitlement to apply for and be granted full-scale production rights, Agri SA said in a statement this week.