The Mpumalanga province has been involved in resource extraction for decades, which was subsequently burned. The province is characterized by extensive coal mines, dominant power stations, and a landscape composed of conveyor belts, power line supports, and giant cooling towers. This region, known as the Highveld, served as South Africa's industrial battery, powering the country but at the cost of significant environmental damage.
Another fossil fuel type is currently being explored. The publication Daily Maverick reported that the Perth-based group Kinetico Energy has targeted gas resources in Mpumalanga, describing them as 'world-class reserves.' This opens up prospects for a new phase in the province's long-standing relationship with combustible materials.
According to information from Kinetico, the company achieved '100% drilling success' in four of its exploration blocks in both Mpumalanga and the neighboring Free State province. Kinetico's Executive Chairman, Adam Sierakowski, also promised 'very careful environmental stewardship,' emphasizing that the project would not involve hydraulic fracturing (fracking).
Given that South Africa must complete its coal era, the situation resembles a reboot. The national 'Just Energy Transition' program is built on the idea of shifting to a cleaner energy system without completely abandoning the people and economies that developed around coal. Mpumalanga is where this theory most often confronts reality.
There are jobs that need protecting, towns built around mining, vast energy infrastructure that cannot simply be switched off, and a national grid requiring reliable energy production. Announcing an energy transition is one thing; sustaining it during the transition is quite another.
In this context, gas appears highly attractive. It burns cleaner than coal and can generate electricity when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing. Furthermore, it can become an alternative energy source for industry, which is particularly relevant given South Africa's problems with the long-term supply of existing gas reserves.
Until now, the country has heavily relied on gas from Mozambique, but these resources will not last forever. The company Sasol warns of an inevitable decline in Mozambican supplies, complicating an already difficult energy crisis. In light of this, finding gas closer to home looks significantly more interesting, and Mpumalanga's geology is suitable for it.
The province's coal formations contain methane, including coal methane, making the underground landscape that fostered South Africa's coal economy potentially useful for other purposes. Nevertheless, there are strong arguments for developing gas fields. If it helps replace coal generation, support renewable energy sources, and provide the country with an additional source of stable energy, it could play a beneficial role during the transformation period.
However, there is a difference between using gas in a transitional period and creating a new industry that must exist for decades. Once funds are invested in drilling, pipelines, processing facilities, and everything necessary to turn an underground resource into a commercial product, the economy tends to maintain that activity. For Mpumalanga, coal should never have been the only story. And yet, here we are.