Nkhotakota, December 20: Members of Parliament (MPs) in Nkhotakota have queried over commencement of full tensor gravity gradiometry survey by RAK Gas MB45 Ltd to trace potential areas for oil and gas exploration when Department of Mining has not yet come up with results of Kauniuni Survey.
The MPs raised the concern during extraordinary Nkhotakota district full council meeting organized by Department of Mining and RAK Gas MB45 Ltd to brief council members of its first activities in oil and gas exploration in blocks 4 and 5.
Briefing members, Southern Region Mining Engineer Eliya Saiti said the Department of Mining is still analyzing Kauniuni survey data and the results will be ready next year but RAK Gas MB45 would like to conduct its survey to establish potential areas of oil and gas exploration in the two blocks.
“Block 4 includes the southern part of Nkhotakota, Salima, Mangochi and small portions of Dedza and Ntcheu while block 5 covers districts like Phalombe, Zomba, Blantyre, Mulanje, Thyolo, Machinga and Chiradzulu,” said Saiti.
Nkhotakota North legislator Frank Mphande queried the reason behind rushing in allowing RAK Gas MB45 to conduct the survey when the general public does not know the results of Kauniuni.
Mphande said: “Will this not be similar to what happened at Kayerekera whereby many samples are just being taken thereby draining large part of mineral deposits before commencement of the actual drilling?”
Saiti clarified that during Kauniuni survey, exploration of oil and gas did not cover the whole country as oil and gas exploration took place only in Vwaza and Lower Shire not in the two blocks that have been given to the RAK Gas MB45.
RAK Gas MB45 Ltd Country Manager Chimwemwe Chikusa added that the plane that is used for full tensor gravity gradiometry survey is tuned to trace specific minerals in specific areas.
He highlighted that the plane will be set to trace oil and gas potential sites in blocks 4 and 5 which were not targeted during Kauniuni survey regarding oil and gas prospects.
Nkhotakota South legislator Grelzedar Jeffrey however, said she was in agreement with her fellow legislator because the development means that funds are lost only in surveys without tangible results and this, in one way or another, could affect the economy.
Saiti said the situation will not have adverse effect on the economy because RAK Gas MB45 are using their own funds not from Mining Governance and Growth Support Project which they used for Kauniuni and the project is funded by World Bank and European Union.
“Since Kauniuni did not cover oil and gas exploration for the whole country, we are happy that we have investors like RAK Gas MB45 who have the financial muscle to assist government in oil and gas exploration. This is why government granted license to RAK Gas MB45 last year,” said Saiti.
RAK Gas MB45 Ltd is from United Arab Emirates. The full tensor gravity gradiometry survey which is expected to take place in two months involves a small plane flying at an average height of 100 metres to trace if an area has sedimentary basins which are potential areas for further oil and gas exploration.
