The advent of shale gas has made South Africa realise its potential fortune in shale. South Africa is ranked eighth in the world by the US Energy Information Administration (US EIA) with 390 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable gas reserves. Shale gas could have a positive impact on the economy through job creation, taxes and royalties, services sector, technology development and increased foreign exchange as well as spin offs to petrochemicals, fertilisers and related industries.