South Africa court halts TotalEnergies offshore drilling project

Edited By: Omar Kadir

THE South African High Court has overturned government approval for a major offshore oil drilling project by French energy company TotalEnergies near Cape Town, and in doing so delivered a significant victory to environmental groups. While the company had secured rights to explore a vast 10,000-square-kilometre block alongside Shell and PetroSA, the court found that public consultation was inadequate, as emergency plans for potential oil spills or explosions were withheld until after the decision, thereby preventing communities from meaningfully participating in the process.

As a result, the permit issued in 2023 by the Ministry of Environment has been annulled, and the company must reapply under a process that ensures transparency and full public engagement. Critics have argued that both the authorities and TotalEnergies failed to follow essential procedural safeguards, undermining the legitimacy of the project’s initial approval.

This ruling comes at a time when southern Africa’s offshore waters are attracting growing interest from the oil and gas industry, spurred by major discoveries off Namibia and large-scale energy projects in Mozambique. The decision has intensified debate in South Africa over how to balance economic ambitions with environmental protection, particularly along its strategically important coastline.