IOLI NOPHONONONGO: UNXWEME OLUSENTSHONA

This fact sheet, published by Natural Justice in March 2025, informs the public about TotalEnergies' (TEEPSA) proposal to conduct oil and gas exploration drilling in the southern portion of the Deep Water Orange Basin (DWOB) off the South African coast. It outlines the technical scope of the drilling, potential environmental and social impacts, and the process for public participation in the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA).

• TotalEnergies (TEEPSA) plans to drill up to seven new exploration wells for oil and gas in the southern part of the Deep Water Orange Basin (DWOB). Each well is expected to take between three and four months to drill, at depths ranging from 500m to 3,900m, located approximately 211km from the coast.
• The proposed drilling activities may negatively impact marine life—including turtles, dolphins, whales, and African penguins—through noise, pollution, and potential oil spills. There are also concerns regarding the reduction of fish populations, which could decrease fishing profits, and the disruption of cultural and spiritual connections to the coast for indigenous people and fishing communities between Port Nolloth and Cape Town.
• The project is currently in the second stage of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, specifically the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report design phase. The public is invited to review the ESIA design from February 11 to March 10, 2025, and submit comments by the March 10 deadline.
• In 2023, TEEPSA received environmental authorization (EA) for exploration activities in the western part of the DWOB, which fishers and environmental organizations intend to challenge in the Cape High Court in February 2025.

APA

Natural Justice (2025). IOLI NOPHONONONGO: UNXWEME OLUSENTSHONA. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/FINAL_IsiXhosa_TEEPSA-DWOB-South_Info-Pamphlet_EISA.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. IOLI NOPHONONONGO: UNXWEME OLUSENTSHONA. 2025. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/FINAL_IsiXhosa_TEEPSA-DWOB-South_Info-Pamphlet_EISA.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=IOLI NOPHONONONGO: UNXWEME OLUSENTSHONA |date=March 2025 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/FINAL_IsiXhosa_TEEPSA-DWOB-South_Info-Pamphlet_EISA.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2025ioli, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{IOLI NOPHONONONGO: UNXWEME OLUSENTSHONA}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/FINAL_IsiXhosa_TEEPSA-DWOB-South_Info-Pamphlet_EISA.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }