Cape Town – The Green Connection Green Connection is fighting to stop the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy's (DMRE) approval of TotalEngeries' Deep Western Orange Basin Oil and Gas drilling application on the West Coast.
It believes allowing this application to be approved will affect small-scale fishers and have a catastrophic effect on the ocean's environment.
TotalEnergies Exploration & Production South Africa (TEEPSA) was given the go-ahead earlier this year to explore for oil and gas off the south-west coast of South Africa.
The decision was granted by environmental authorities together with the DMRE.
This follows a previous online petition of over 12 000 people to halt this drilling action.
The DMRE said it also welcomed a decision made by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment's (DFFE) Barbara Creecy to proceed with the proposed offshore drilling and exploration on the south-west coast.
Makhosonke Buthelezi of the DMRE said all factors of the environment were taken into consideration.
“As the appeal authority, Minister Creecy dismissed all the appeals, giving credence to the initial decision by the DMRE that had taken all requirements into consideration,” he said.
“South Africa is richly endowed with natural resources, including oil and gas, that have been proven to be game-changers elsewhere in the world.
“The DMRE believes that these resources must be explored, in accordance with the prevailing environmental framework that ensures that licensing is done with the utmost environmental care founded on Section 24 of our Constitution.”'
But Green Connection's community outreach co-ordinator, Neville van Rooy, said the outlet would worsen the state of the ocean's environment and shared a copy of their petition to stop it.
Their petition currently has more than 6000 signatures.
“The onslaught by the oil and gas industry on our ocean environment continues, even though these activities could worsen the climate crisis, in addition to potentially harming marine ecosystems, which in turn could threaten fisher and other coastal livelihoods.
“The ocean is important for climate change mitigation, but it is vital to the many coastal communities who depend on it. This is why we must defend it.”
The Weekend Argus approached the DMRE for further comment on Green Connection's stance but the department did not respond.
Van Rooy added that climate change would worsen and that oil and gas had damaging effects by emitting carbon dioxide when burnt and should no longer be seen as a desirable energy option.
“According to reports from the International Energy Agency, the world already has enough, from current reserves and from projects already approved,” he said.
“We do not need to look for more oil and gas because we should be making the transition to sustainable energy sources.
“However, with the Climate Change Bill finally coming into effect, maybe now South African civil society will have climate-conscious laws on our side when it comes to stopping developments that will worsen climate change and which threaten food security and people's right to make an honest living.”
Peter Mbelengwa of the DFFE told the Weekend Argus there was an appeal decision of 144 documents which he shared with the newspaper in response to the petition.
According to its website, TEEPSA said its joint venture partners were pursuing its exploration right in Block 5/6/7, located offshore the south-west coast of South Africa, between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas.
“TEEPSA (as operator) and its partners Shell and PetroSA currently hold an exploration right over Block 5/6/7.
“Since the first granting of the exploration right, two seismic surveys have been undertaken in the block.
“Based on the analysis of acquired seismic data, TEEPSA is proposing to drill one exploration well, and success dependent, up to four additional wells in total within an area of interest within the block (ie, up to five wells in total).
“The area of interest, covering an area of 10 000km2, is located approximately 60km from the coast at its closest point and 170km at its furthest, in water depths ranging from 1 000m to 3 200m.
“The purpose of the proposed exploration drilling is to facilitate the determination of whether geological structures ('prospects') contain oil or gas.
“As part of the process of applying for environmental authorisation, in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, 107 of 1998 (as amended), an environmental and social impact assessment process is being undertaken.”