TEEPSA - Deep Western Orange Basin (DWOB) Exploration Drilling EIA off the West Coast of South Africa

TotalEnergies EP South Africa S.A.S. (TEEPSA) is the operator of Licence Block Deep Western Orange Basin (DWOB) off the West Coast of South Africa and proposes to conduct an exploration well drilling campaign.

Licence Block DWOB is located in water depths ranging from 500 m to 3 900 m and 211 km offshore from the coastal town of Saldanha Bay. TEEPSA’s Area of Interest in which to conduct exploration for oil and gas covers 15 000 km2. The proposed offshore exploration campaign entails offshore drilling of up to seven (7) exploration and/or appraisal wells, including:

Vertical seismic profiling; VSP: Using special equipment to analyse the wells;

Testing the wells to learn more about the oil and gas; and

Plugging and abandonment: Sealing the wells when investigations are done.

Prior to commencing with activities, TEEPSA must obtain permission, an Environmental Authorisation; EA, in terms of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, 2014, (GN R 982 of 2014), promulgated under the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (No. 107 of 1998), from the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR). As part of this process, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) must be completed. SLR Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd (SLR), an independent firm of Environmental Assessment Practitioners, has been appointed by TEEPSA to manage the environmental authorisation processes.

Status

Draft EIA Report availability for public review and Invitation to Public Open Days

SLR has compiled a Draft EIA Report, which is available for a 30-day review and comment period from 11 August to 10 September 2025. This provides an opportunity for I&APs to comment on the findings of the Impact Assessment and any aspect of the proposed project.A full copy of the report as well as a Non-Technical Summary is available for download below.

To register as an I&AP and comment on the Draft EIA Report, please contact SLR using the details provided above. For comments to be addressed and included in the Final EIA Report, comments should reach SLR by no later than 10 September 2025.

Public Open Days are being held in 12 locations on the West Coast from 12 to 22 August 2025 to provide an overview of the project proposal, the EIA process and the findings thereof as well as provide stakeholders a further opportunity to comment. An online public meeting will be held on 25 August 2025. Please refer to the Notification Letter, Non-technical Summary or Draft EIA Report below for Public Open Day and meeting details.

By providing your personal information to submit a comment, you will be included in the SLR an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP) database, and you consent to SLR managing your information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013. It is assumed that as an I&AP for this Project you authorise SLR to retain and use your Personal Information as part of a contact database for this and/or other Social and Environmental Impact Assessments (ESIA) and that you confirm your acceptance for SLR to contact you regarding this and/or other ESIA processes. SLR will not process your Personal Information, other than as permitted or required by ESIA processes, or as required by law or public policy. SLR will use reasonable, appropriate security safeguards to protect Personal Information, and to reasonably prevent any damage to, loss of, or unauthorised access or disclosure of Personal Information, other than as required for ESIA processes or as required by any Law or public policy. You may request for your Personal Information to be deleted from the I&AP database at any time by contacting SLR.