TotalEnergies in the Deep Water Orange Basin block

A fact sheet by Natural Justice detailing a legal challenge brought by the Aukotowa Primary Fishing Cooperative, The Green Connection, and Natural Justice against the South African government's decision to grant TotalEnergies EP South Africa S.A.S environmental authorisation for ultra-deep water exploration in the Deep Water Orange Basin (DWOB).

• In 2023, the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources granted an Environmental Authorisation (EA) to TotalEnergies EP South Africa S.A.S to drill ultra-deep water exploration wells in the northern area of the Deep Water Orange Basin (DWOB) block, located approximately 200 km off South Africa's west coast. Following the dismissal of internal appeals by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, the Aukotowa Primary Fishing Cooperative, The Green Connection, and Natural Justice filed for judicial review in the Western Cape High Court, with hearings scheduled for 23 and 24 March 2026.
• The legal challenge argues that the authorisation is flawed regarding climate change and energy planning. Specifically, the applicants claim the decision-makers assessed the exploration phase in isolation, ignored lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from potential future extraction, and contradicted South Africa's net-zero commitments and international duties to prevent climate harm, as highlighted by a 2025 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion.
• The applicants contend that the project poses significant environmental and socio-economic risks that were downplayed. They highlight that drilling in waters deeper than 2,000 metres is technically complex and that the Environmental Impact Report lacks site-specific evidence for such depths, relying instead on an untested blowout contingency plan. They argue this threatens the food security and livelihoods of small-scale fishers, specifically mentioning communities in Port Nolloth.
• The review application asserts that the state failed to comply with the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act. The applicants claim the Director-General's decision omitted the Act's requirements for assessing coastal projects and failed the state's duty to act as a public trustee of coastal public property.

APA

Natural Justice (n.d.). TotalEnergies in the Deep Water Orange Basin block. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ENG_Factsheet_TEEPSA-DWOB-North-Court-Case-FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. TotalEnergies in the Deep Water Orange Basin block. n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ENG_Factsheet_TEEPSA-DWOB-North-Court-Case-FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=TotalEnergies in the Deep Water Orange Basin block |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ENG_Factsheet_TEEPSA-DWOB-North-Court-Case-FINAL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljusticendtotalenergies, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{TotalEnergies in the Deep Water Orange Basin block}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ENG_Factsheet_TEEPSA-DWOB-North-Court-Case-FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }