- Just more than a month into the new year and eco-justice organisations, The Green Connection, Natural Justice, and Masifundise are sounding alarm bells about yet another fossil fuel project application underway, warning of potentially severe environmental risks to marine biodiversity and serious socio-economic concerns for the coastal communities that depend on it.
After reviewing the Draft Scoping Report – for TotalEnergies EP South Africa’s (TEEPSA) proposed offshore oil and gas exploration drilling in the southern part of Block Deep-Water Orange Basin (DWOB), off the country’s West Coast – the eco-justice organisations also highlight the project’s impact on the country’s commitment to address the climate crisis and move toward a just energy transition.
The Green Connection’s Strategic Lead, Liziwe McDaid, emphasizes government’s responsibility to make informed decisions that serve the public interest. “If crucial data is missing – information essential for fair and sensible decision-making – then government must reject the reports and applications. Now more than ever, as the climate crisis worsens, energy poverty persists, and food insecurity grows, the risks associated with oil and gas exploration may simply be too high. South Africans, especially those who depend on the ocean for food, livelihoods, and their way of life, cannot afford to sacrifice vital marine ecosystems. We need government to recognise that the world is moving toward a new era of innovation and sustainable alternatives that do not compromise ecosystem health.”
The organisations say that TEEPSA’s argument, that the proposed project aligns with South Africa’s climate policies, is flawed. TEEPSA cannot ignore the full lifecycle of the project in its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) because exploration leads to production, which results in more oil and gas, and this means more carbon emissions and worsening climate change. Therefore, trying to separate exploration from production, to avoid climate scrutiny, is legally indefensible. The science is clear: fossil fuel extraction drives climate change, making this project neither necessary nor desirable under National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA) principles.
As part of the DWOB South project, TEEPSA plans to drill up to seven wells in an area spanning nearly 30,000 km² between Saldanha Bay and Kleinzee, with drilling depths reaching 3,900 metres. Experts warn that exploratory drilling at such depths carries a heightened risk of blowouts, raising concerns about South Africa’s ability to contain an oil spill of this magnitude.
McDaid warns, “This project, because it goes deeper, seems more dangerous and even riskier than the infamous Deepwater Horizon well, where a catastrophic oil spill has caused long-term harm to marine ecosystems and local coastal communities.”
As the public participation process for this project unfolds, The Green Connection, Natural Justice, and Masifundise urge South Africans to hold decision-makers accountable. The future of the country’s energy system should not be dictated by corporate profits but by sustainable development that ensures economic and environmental justice for all.
“This is about our communities, our oceans, and our future,” say the organisations. “We cannot allow reckless fossil fuel expansion to rob the people of their rights and livelihoods, especially as life has already become harder, with the cost of living quickly becoming almost completely unaffordable for most.”
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
