"Our approach (is) based on the philosophy of no harm to people and no harm to the environment," Shell's general manager for new venture execution, Graham Tiley, told journalists in Johannesburg.

Shell has applied for rights to explore for shale gas across 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 square miles) in South Africa's arid Karoo region using a technique called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking."

The process involves blasting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals deep beneath the earth's surface to release natural gas trapped between layers of clay-like shale rock.

The company has drawn criticism from farmers, environmentalists and landowners -- including Dutch Princess Irene, a local property owner -- who fear the impact the process could have on the environment.

Tiley said the company would work with the government and landowners to help coal-dependent South Africa tap its cleaner, more efficient natural gas reserves without harming the Karoo or its residents.

"We don't want anything getting into the environment that shouldn't be there," he said.

Shell said it planned to hold extensive consultations with local residents and would not begin fracking in the Karoo until 2013 at the earliest.

The company urged South Africa, which struggles to generate enough electricity and depends on coal for more than 95 percent of its production, not to pass up a potentially vast new energy source that it said is 40 percent more efficient than coal and 50 to 70 percent less polluting.

"We are sitting on piles of gas and we're short of energy," said Shell South Africa Vice President Bonang Mohale.

He said Shell expected to spend some $200 million (145 million euros) to explore up to 24 wells across an area twice the size of Denmark, but would only be able to determine the size of the region's reserves after exploration began.

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