TEEPSA Deep Western Orange Basin South WHAT ACTION CAN I TAKE? COMMENT ON THE SCOPING REPORT

This guide, published by Natural Justice in February 2025, provides instructions for the public to comment on the draft Scoping Report for proposed exploration drilling by TotalEnergies EP SA S.A.S (TEEPSA) in the southern area of the Deep Water Orange Basin (DWOB) block. It outlines the project's activities, potential environmental and social impacts, and the legal process for environmental authorisation in South Africa.

• TEEPSA proposes to conduct exploration drilling in a 15,000 km2 area of interest in the southern part of the DWOB block, located approximately 211km from Saldanha. The plan involves drilling up to 7 exploration and/or appraisal wells, with each well's activities estimated to last 3 to 4 months.
• The drilling operations will be divided into three phases: a Mobilisation Phase (establishing logistics and transporting equipment), an Operation Phase (drilling, seabed discharge of cuttings and fluids, and Vertical Seismic Profiling using airgun arrays), and a Demobilisation Phase (plugging and abandoning wells).
• The project will utilize a Deepwater Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), specifically a drillship or semi-submersible unit, supported by up to three vessels. Personnel transport is planned via helicopter with up to four weekly trips to Cape Town, and onshore logistics will be based at ports in Cape Town, Saldanha Bay, or Luderitz.
• Potential impacts on marine life include changes in seawater quality and increased noise, which may cause fish and whales—including sperm whales, humpback whales, and common dolphins—to be injured or move away. An oil spill could contaminate fishing areas and lead to animal deaths.
• The project may negatively affect fishing livelihoods. Between 2017 and 2019, an average of 149 fishing lines in the DWOB area yielded 191 tonnes of large pelagic species like tuna and swordfish; drilling could reduce catches and income due to changes in fish behaviour or exclusion from polluted areas following a spill.
• The project area's indirect influence extends from Port Nolloth to Cape Town, an area with significant intangible cultural heritage. Indigenous peoples and Small Scale Fishers (SSF) view the ocean as a cultural complex requiring ancestral permission for development.
• The environmental authorisation process involves a Scoping Phase and an Impact Assessment Phase. The public was given until 19 February 2025 to comment on the draft Scoping report. If the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy grants authorisation, any disagreeing party can appeal to the Department of Forestry Fisheries and Environment within 20 days.

APA

Natural Justice (2025). TEEPSA Deep Western Orange Basin South WHAT ACTION CAN I TAKE? COMMENT ON THE SCOPING REPORT. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/English_TEEPSA-DWOB-south-Scoping-Report-Final.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. TEEPSA Deep Western Orange Basin South WHAT ACTION CAN I TAKE? COMMENT ON THE SCOPING REPORT. 2025. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/English_TEEPSA-DWOB-south-Scoping-Report-Final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=TEEPSA Deep Western Orange Basin South WHAT ACTION CAN I TAKE? COMMENT ON THE SCOPING REPORT |date=February 2025 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/English_TEEPSA-DWOB-south-Scoping-Report-Final.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2025teepsa, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{TEEPSA Deep Western Orange Basin South WHAT ACTION CAN I TAKE? COMMENT ON THE SCOPING REPORT}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/English_TEEPSA-DWOB-south-Scoping-Report-Final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }