South Africa’s environment minister has rejected appeals seeking to stop oil exploration in an offshore block operated by French energy company TotalEnergies, allowing plans to drill up to five exploration wells to proceed under existing environmental authorisation.

Environment Affairs Minister David Maynier dismissed the appeals in a decision dated October 13, following objections from 47 individuals and environmental organisations, including Greenpeace Africa.

The objections challenged a 2024 authorisation granted by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources for exploration in Block 3B/4B off South Africa’s west coast.

The exploration rights were initially granted to Africa Oil SA Corp, Ricocure and Azinam, with TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy subsequently acquiring participating interests in the block.

Although Maynier rejected all the appeals, he imposed additional conditions relating to assessments of food security and the livelihoods of coastal communities.

South African law allows parties dissatisfied with the minister’s decision to seek a judicial review in court, meaning further legal action could still affect the project.

TotalEnergies welcomed the decision, saying it would work with the relevant authorities to comply with the requirements, including measures for environmental monitoring and marine protection.

However, Greenpeace Africa criticised the ruling, describing the dismissal of the appeals as a failure of environmental governance and warning of potential risks to South Africa’s west coast.

The area includes the Orange Basin, considered a promising region for oil and gas exploration. Efforts to develop offshore petroleum resources in South Africa have faced repeated objections from environmental groups and legal challenges.