GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Following TotalEnergies quitting its gas condensate discoveries along the Southern Cape coast last year, Main Street 1549 (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of Africa Energy Corp from Canada, is applying for environmental authorisation to undertake various survey activities here.
Their surveys will be focused on Block 9 and Block 11B/12B which are approximately 80-190km offshore in water depths between 100m and 2 200m.
The recent Luiperd and Brulpadda discoveries are located in the southwest corner of Block 11B/12B.
Africa Energy Corp has indicated that despite challenges and delays encountered to date, it remained confident that the Block 11B/12B resources can be commercially developed.
The Luiperd and Brulpadda discoveries are the largest discoveries of natural gas resources in South Africa to date. Africa Energy Corp, that became the official operator of Block 11B/12B late last year, believes that if developed, they could "supply a significant portion of the country's energy needs as it seeks to transition away from coal fired power plants".
A notice that invites public participation in the environmental and social impact assessment (Esia) in the proposed survey has been issued. According to the notice, Main Street proposes to initially conduct a "downscaled and largely non-intrusive" survey along the potential production sites and pipeline routes from the deep-water field areas in Block 11B/12B onto the shelf and into the adjacent Block 9 (which is held by PetroSA). The findings of this survey will provide essential data that will inform the design and layout of subsea production facilities and associated infrastructure.
The proposed project triggers two listed activities: removal or moving of soil of more than 5m³ from the sea for the seabed sampling; and furtherance of the proposed development and future production in Block 11B/12B.
Interested and affected parties can access a draft scoping report and a non-technical summary of the proposal at:
- The LR website, or
- A data-free website
A copy of the report and summary are also available at the following locations:
The non-technical summary is available in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa as a document
or audio file.
There is a 30-day review and comment period from 3 March to 3 April.
Public open days will also be held at various venues. These will entail an informal poster session where interested and affected parties can attend at any time during the hours indicated and engage with the Esia team on an informal basis. No formal meetings will be held.
SLR Consulting is the appointed independent environmental assessment practitioner.
Comment should reach SLR no later than 3 April using the following contact details:
Tel: (021) 461 1118/9
SMS/WhatsApp: 071 586 5881
Email: 11b12bsurveys@slrconsulting.com
All comments received will be incorporated and responded to in a comments and responses report, which will be appended to the final scoping report. The final scoping report will be made available on the SLR website for information purposes.
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