Total + partners plan public meetings for 10 new oil wells off between Mossel Bay & Cape St Francis

A Joint Venture comprising TotalEnergies EP South Africa B.V. (TEEPSA), QatarEnergy, Canadian Natural Resources International (South Africa) Limited, and a South African consortium, MainStreet 1549, that held an Exploration Right over Block 11B/12B located offshore from the Southern Cape Coast, South Africa, now seeks to convert the Exploration Right into a Production Right.

The public review period for the Draft Scoping Report will close on Friday 03 February 2023. A Non-Technical Summary of the Draft Scoping Report is available here in English, isiXhosa, and Afrikaans. An audio recording of the Non-Technical Summary of the Draft Scoping Report is also available in English, isiXhosa, and Afrikaans on the websites. 

The Production Right Application Area is approximately 100 km offshore and extends between Mossel Bay and Cape St Francis. TEEPSA is planning to develop the gas resources within the Application Area if a Production Right is granted and if commercial agreements for the sale of the gas into the domestic market can be achieved. 

TEEPSA has appointed WSP Group Africa (Pty) Ltd (WSP) as the independent Environmental Assessment Practitioner to conduct the statutory Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment (S&EIA) and public participation process.  

Public comment period:

On the 1st of December 2022 an email to notify potential Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) of the proposed Production Right application was circulated and we would like to thank everyone who has registered as an I&AP and submitted comments to date, as well as attended the first online public meeting that was convened on the 7^th of December 2022. As indicated in the notification letter, a series of public meetings is scheduled to commence in January 2023.

Invitation to attend the public meetings

The public is invited to the Scoping Phase public meetings that will be taking place along the Southern Cape Coast from 16 January to 26 January 2023. Table 1 shows more detail regarding the date, venue and time of the public meetings.

TEEPSA’s stated objectives of the public meetings are:

• To share information about TEEPSA’s proposed offshore Block 11B/12B development project
• To provide information about the statutory Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment and public participation process that form part of the proposed Production Right and Environmental Authorisation process
• For I&APs to ask questions, raise issues of concern, contribute suggestions for enhanced benefits or alternatives, and identify potential impacts for consideration as part of the S&EIA

Table 1. Details of the public meetings

Date	Venue	Time
16 January 2023	Kwanonqaba Community Hall, Mayixhale St, Kwanonqaba, Mossel Bay	10h00 – 12h00 AND 17h00 – 19h00
17 January 2023	Mossel Bay Town Hall, 101 Marsh Street, Mossel Bay Central	10h00 – 12h00 AND 17h00 – 19h00
18 January 2023	Thembalethu Community Hall, 66 Olympic Road, George	17h00 – 19h00
19 January 2023	Khayelethu Community Hall, Mbethana Street, Knysna	17h00 – 19h00
20 January 2023	Piesang Community Hall, 7 Greenpoint Ave, Plettenberg Bay	17h00 – 19h00
21 January 2023	Seavista Hall, Geelbek Street, St Francis Bay	14h00 – 16h00
23 January 2023	Pellsrus Hall, 1 Harder Street, Jeffreys Bay	17h00 – 19h00
24 January 2023	Feather Market Hall, 86 Baakens Street Port Elisabeth Central, Gqeberha	17h00 – 19h00
25 January 2023	Jauka Community Hall, Runeli Drive, Port Alfred	10h00 – 12h00 AND 14h00 – 16h00
26 January 2023	Scenery Park Community Hall, 30 7th Rd, Scenery Park, East London	17:00 – 19:00

Please contact the WSP Public Participation Office for more information about the Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment, to register as an I&AP or to attend the meetings:

WSP Group Africa (Pty) Ltd, PO Box 6001, Halfway House, 1685

Tel:                  +27 (0) 11 254 4800, or

WhatsApp:       076 694 3842

Fax:                 +27 (0) 11 315 0317     

Email:              teepsaEIA@WSP.com / gld.teepsaesia@wsp.com

Download information from the WSP website: https://www.wsp.com/en-za/services/public-documents

Download information from the data-free website at: https://wsp-engage.com/Total-11B12B/

Please feel free to contact the WSP Public Participation Office should you have any questions or would like more information.