South African court blocks TotalEnergies' offshore oil exploration permit

A setback for French energy giant TotalEnergies after a South African court on Wednesday blocked its offshore oil exploration project off the Cape coast.

The judge effectively annulled the environmental authorisations granted to the company and its joint venture partner, Shell, to exploit an offshore area of approximately 10,000 km².

He found that the government-issued approval failed to properly assess the potential socio-economic impacts of oil spills and the broader effects of climate change.

The court, however, left the door open for a revised application, saying the companies should be allowed to address the shortcomings.

These updated assessments should include deeper studies on environmental risks, climate impacts, and possible disruption to local fishing and coastal communities.

Two environmental organisations had gone to court to challenge the authorisation saying the project’s environmental review inadequately addressed the full range of potential impacts.

The order is the latest in a series of court challenges between environmentalists and oil companies looking to explore along South Africa's coast.