According to a document obtained by Reuters, the environment ministry of South Africa has granted the green light for TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) to drill offshore for natural gas and oil. This comes after the ministry rejected an appeal by more than a dozen people and advocacy organizations.
The petition to prevent TotalEnergies from drilling in Block 5/6/7 off the coast of the Cape was the most recent in a line of lawsuits that aimed to prevent energy firms from searching for fresh offshore finds at the foot of Africa.
It tried to convince Environment Minister Barbara Creecy to overturn the environmental authorization granted to the French energy company by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in April. The reasons it cited for doing so ranged from marine noise and oil spills to climate change and inadequate public consultation.
However, in a judgment that was 144 pages long and was obtained by Reuters, Creecy, who was acting as the appellate authority, disregarded their objections.
I am thus confident that the effects of noise and light have been sufficiently examined and mitigated to guarantee that they will have a minimal impact on the environment that is receiving them. As a result, Creecy stated in the judgment dated September 24 that this particular basis of the appeal is rejected.
At its closest point to the coast, the region of interest is around 60 kilometers away. In contrast, it is approximately 170 kilometers away at its farthest point, and the ocean depths range from 700 to 3,200 meters. The area of interest comprises approximately 10,000 square km and is located offshore roughly between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas.
The exploration plan for TotalEnergies calls for up to five wells to be drilled.
