| (1) | A holder must not commence with drilling operations before obtaining the necessary authorisations, permits and licences in terms of the National Water Act, 1998,the National Environmental Management Act, 1998, and the specific environmental management Act. |
| (2) | An applicant must submit the following to the designated agency, the department responsible for water affairs and to the competent authority as part of the application for Environmental Authorisation: |
| (a) | A well engineering design which must include but not be limited to the— |
| (i) | type of rig to be used; |
| (iii) | type and estimated amount of drilling fluids; |
| (iv) | different stages of drilling and the size of drill bits; |
| (vi) | cementation programme; and |
| (b) | a hydraulic fracturing programme and procedure that must include— |
| (i) | pre-fracturing simulation and modelling; |
| (ii) | the proposed depth(s) to the top and the bottom of the formation into which well fracturing fluids are to be injected; |
| (iii) | the authorised source and volume of water to be used; |
| (iv) | handling, storage,reuse, transportation, treatment and disposal of hydraulic fracturing fluids and flow-back. |
| (v) | fracturing fluid compositions, concentrations and estimated total volume to be used; |
| (vi) | the anticipated surface and downhole treating pressure range; |
| (vii) | the maximum injection treatment pressure; |
| (viii) | the annuli and offset well pressure monitoring programme to be performed; |
| (ix) | a testing and flowback plan; |
| (x) | equipment rig up and testing, including testing of high pressure equipment; |
| (xi) | a design of the fracture geometry including fracturing target zones, sealing mechanisms and aquifers; |
| (xii) | a micro-seismic monitoring programme; |
| (xiii) | the monitoring of pressure on the production string and well annuli during rig up and testing; and |
| (xiv) | the monitoring of any adjacent or offset wells for pressure on the production string and other well annuli as required. |
[Regulation 110 inserted by section 2 of Notice No. R. 466 dated 3 June 2015]
