Environmental Affairs Minister, Edna Molewa, will launch the commission of a strategic environmental assessment of shale gas development in South Africa.
The Minister will be joined at the official launch on Tuesday by representatives from the Departments of Water & Sanitation, Mineral Resources, Energy, and Science & Technology.
Department spokesperson, Albi Modise, said environmental assessment will be carried out by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the SA National Biodiversity Institute and the Council for Geosciences.
"The aim of the strategic environmental assessment is to provide an integrated assessment and decision-making framework to enable South Africa to establish effective policy, legislation and sustainability conditions under which shale gas development could occur," he said.
"The SEA will consider both the exploration and production related activities of shale gas development across different scenarios in a holistic and integrated manner; and will include an assessment of all the material social, economic and biophysical risks and opportunities associated with the industry."
Modise said the study area will include regions of the Karoo Basin which currently have exploration rights applications pending in the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape Provinces.
The SEA for shale gas development was formally commissioned in February 2015 and will be 24 months in duration.
