TotalEnergies plans to explore for oil in South Africa

French energy TotalEnergies plans to explore for offshore oil off the west coast of South Africa Bloomberg News.

The move comes despite several environmental groups opposing exploration in the area on environmental grounds.

TotalEnergies plans to initially drill one exploratory well. Based on the success of this well, the firm could start drilling an additional nine wells, the news agency reported, citing SLR Consulting, which conducts an environmental assessment.

Exploration work is planned to be carried out in the deep-water Orange basin, located on the shore between the port of Nolot and the Hondeklip Bay, at a depth of up to 3,000 m.

Recently, TotalEnergies E&P Namibia, a division of TotalEnergies selected SLR camera undertake an environmental and social impact assessment process for exploration and appraisal wells in Block 2912 off the southern coast of Namibia.

Following exploration in the 5,206 km area of ​​interest in Block 2912, TotalEnergies plans to drill up to ten exploration and/or appraisal wells, vertical seismic profiling, well testing, wellhead abandonment, hydroacoustic bathymetry, and seabed sampling and core testing. .

Earlier this year, a South African court prohibited offshore oil and gas exploration A shell along the environmentally sensitive Wild Coast region in the Eastern Cape province, citing concerns about the impact on marine life.

The decision was handed down by Mahanda High Court judge President Mbenenge, who in December 2021 issued an interim order banning further Shell operations in the area.

The case was brought by NPC Sustaining the Wild Coast, Wild Coast communities, Wild Coast small-scale fishermen and All Rise Attorneys for Climate and the Environment NPC.