Exploration Right – Masilonyana and Matjhabeng local municipalities, in the Lejweleputswa District Municipality
In 2024, Motuoane Energy (Pty) Ltd (Motuoane/ the Applicant) was granted an Exploration Right (ER) by the Petroleum Agency South Africa (PASA) to look for gas fields in the Free State.
The Applicant is now applying to change a portion of their existing ER area (ER315) into a Production Right (PR). The proposed extraction and production activities will target helium and methane gas. They will include drilling up to 43 production wells, gas-gathering pipelines, a helium recovery and gas-processing plant (CNG and/or LNG), and other related infrastructure.
The process is currently at the beginning of the EIA process, the Scoping Phase. A Background Information Document (BID) with an overview of the application has been published to inform the public. Interested and Affected Parties (I&AP), such as local communities, are invited to register to submit comments on the project.
Comments are due on 23 February 2026. This community guide was created as an information pamphlet for affected communities.
To learn more about Onshore Public Participation processes, click here.
To learn more about the Motuoane Energy (Pty) Ltd gas exploration project in Welkom, Virginia, Hennenman and Odendaalsrus, click here.
