Johannesburg - Sasol [JSE:SOL] shares rose on news that the
cabinet lifted a freeze on shale gas exploration in SA, which is believed to have
some 485 trillion cubic feet of the resource.
Government last year imposed a moratorium on oil and gas
exploration licences in the Karoo region, to give time to study the potential
gains and examine the concerns of environmentalists who say the extraction
technique known as fracking would ruin the area.
The petrochemical group had been exploring the vast
semi-arid region of Karoo but in November put its shale gas exploration plans
on hold and said it would watch further developments.
Sasol shares gained 2.7% to a 10-week high of R375.37.
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