Fracking a potential 'game-changer' for South African economy - ASSAf professor

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) could be a “game-changer” for South Africa’s economy, Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) VP Professor Barney Pityana said on Thursday. Addressing delegates at a national shale gas conference, hosted by ASSAf in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology, in Port Elizabeth, he said fracking also had the potential to make a major contribution to South Africa reaching its commitments in terms of climate change, by limiting the country’s reliance on coal as an energy source.