(Bloomberg) — TotalEnergies SE is planning a fresh drilling campaign offshore South Africa in a vast basin that includes major oil discoveries in neighboring Namibia.
Total’s South African unit expects to drill as many as seven wells in the Deep Western Orange Basin in waters about 211 km (131 mi) off the coastal town of Saldanha Bay, according to SLR Consulting, an independent environmental assessment company. A draft environmental assessment is available for public comment until Sept. 10.
Total “hopes to begin to drill South Africa targets” from next year, Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne said in an earnings call last month.
Total and rival oil major Shell Plc are ramping up preparations to drill in South Africa after discoveries in 2022 across the maritime border in Namibia that have turned the area into one of the continent’s exploration hotspots.
Shell plans to drill as many as five wells within the Northern Cape Ultra Deep license block off the coast of South Africa, according to a notice by SLR last year. It was granted an environmental authorization for the project on June 30, the company said in a subsequent post.
Environmental groups in recent years have had multiple victories in court to successfully block some exploration activity offshore South Africa.
