A South African court canceled the authorization granted by the environmental authorities to the French oil giant of Totalnergies for a drilling project near the limit, according to a sentence consulted Thursday by AFP.
In his decision taken on Wednesday, Judge Nobahle Mangccu-Lockwood said that “they had reamorate and canceled” the green light issued in 2023 by the Ministry of the Environment for exploration operations in a block of around 10,000 km2.
Specifies that Totalgies could request a new authorization after public consultation. Totalnergies is the block operator, jointly owned by the Petrosa South African public oil company and the British oil giant.
Environmental defense associations had challenged this project in Justice, believing that it was going to wreak havoc in marine life. One of them, Green Connection, sees in the trial a great victory for coastal communities and artisanal fishermen.
Deposit discoveries
“The emergency plans in case of a dark tide or explosion were hidden to the public until after the approval” by the Ministry “, preventing the communities from making observations,” said lawyer Shahil Singh, in a statement.
The interest in the exploration of oil and gas on the South African coast has increased considerably in recent years, partly fed by the main discoveries in Namibia, on the other side of the maritime border of South Africa, and more widely by energy projects in southern Africa, especially in Mozambique.
The Natural Justice Association, which brings together environmental lawyers, believes that the sentence affirmed the obligation of all companies to follow the appropriate procedures before requesting an authorization for oil exploration against South Africa.
“We will continue to resort to our courts, not only to stop the deposits that are adorned with growth and development, but to ensure that the consequences of the exploration and production of oil and gas are properly analyzed,” the association said.
Source: BFM TV
