Main Street main ou on Block 11B/12B

Survey Activities Proposed by Main Street for Block 11B/12B, South Coast of South Africa

Main Street 1549 (Pty) Ltd (Main Street) has applied to the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) for Environmental Authorisation (EA) to undertake survey activities for Block 11B/12B off the South Coast of South Africa, roughly between Mossel Bay and Cape St. Francis.

A Draft ESIA Report, which will be available for public review and comment from 14 July to 14 August 2025. Copies of the full draft ESIA Report and its Non-technical Summary will be available at the following locations, and we will post them here too:

• SLR website: https://www.slrconsulting.com/public-documents/11b12bsurveys/

• Data free website: https://slrpublicdocs.datafree.co/public-documents/11b12bsurveys/, which is accessible from an internet-capable mobile phone WITHOUT data charges.

11B/12B Recent history :
In mid-2024, three big oil players—TotalEnergies, QatarEnergy, and CNR—all announced they were pulling out of South Africa’s offshore gas project Block 11B/12B. Total said the fields were too challenging to develop economically and monetize under South African conditions. Talks about supplying Mossel Bay’s gas-to-liquids plant fell apart.

The lack of infrastructure and buyers was only part of the story. Resistance from climate and ocean justice groups, legal uncertainty over environmental approvals, and the increasing urgency of the global energy transition also played a role. These developments show fossil fuel megaprojects, even those with significant resource potential, are incompatible with both ecological sustainability and social equity.

Total had the biggest stake at 45%, Qatar had 25%, and CNR had 20%. By the end of July 2024, they were all officially out. According to the rules of the joint venture, when companies leave, their shares get split among those who stay – leaving Main Street. On November 25, 2024, Main Street (via Africa Energy – see more below) officially stepped in to assume operatorship  of the entire block – carrying the weight of a high-risk, high-cost gas project – handling the surveys, drilling, the engineering, and all the technical work that Total would have managed. Right now, Main Street still owns 10%, but there’s a chance they could end up with 100% ownership, depending on approvals from the South African government.

SLR Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd (SLR) has been appointed as the Independent Environmental Assessment Practitioner to undertake the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) process for the proposed project.

Comments on the Draft ESIA and SLP Reports should reach SLR and EVA respectively by no later than 14 August 2025 using the following contact details: 11b12bsurveys@slrconsulting.com

How Main Street 1549 Is Being Funded

Since Main Street 1549 owns only a 10% piece of offshore gas 11B/12B block, and that exploring for oil and gas is expensive, and Main Street doesn’t have deep pockets – back in 2020, Africa Energy (a Canadian oil company focused on South Africa) stepped in and made a deal: Africa Energy would pay all of Main Street’s costs to keep the project moving. In return, they’d get a share of the future profits if Main Street ever sells its stake.

Over time, Africa Energy put in millions of dollars to cover development work. To keep things organized, Africa Energy created a special type of share (called “Class B shares”) in Main Street—this let them invest money now and get paid back later if the project becomes profitable or gets sold.

By early 2025, Africa Energy had invested nearly $39 million USD into Main Street. That’s what they now say their stake is worth, based on expected gas prices and the size of the gas discovery. Africa Energy’s investment gives them a strong claim on any potential future earnings. In late 2024 and into 2025, Africa Energy struck a deal with its partner, Arostyle, to take full control of Main Street. That means Africa Energy would not only fund the project, but also own 100% of Main Street’s shares and, more importantly, take over 75% of the gas block itself. The rest (25%) would stay with Arostyle.