The Green Connection has lodged an appeal against the authorisation granted to Tosaco Energy by South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to proceed with seismic blasting in Block 1, from Alexander Bay to Hondeklip Bay off the West Coast.
This comes just months after environmental groups and communities were granted interim interdicts prohibiting Shell from carrying out a seismic survey off the Wild Coast and Searcher Geodata from conducting a seismic survey off the West Coast.
Last month, Oceans Not Oil (ONO), an organisation fighting offshore oil and gas exploration, called on NGOs to submit their appeals after Tosaco Energy was granted authorisation to carry out the seismic survey.
ONO co-founder Janet Solomon says the authorisation makes no sense in terms of climate change and greenhouse gas emission reduction timeframes.
The Green Connection on Monday said that Tosaco Energy had received authorisation from the DMRE to proceed with seismic blasting in Block 1 despite communities’ calls for improved public consultation.
Last week, following submissions from small-scale fishers in Alexander Bay, Port Nolloth, Kleinsee, Hondeklip Bay and Komaggas, The Green Connection lodged an appeal against the authorisation.
The Green Connection’s community outreach coordinator, Neville van Rooy, who recently visited several communities in Northern Cape, said these communities are fighting issues similar to the ones that led to the interdicting of the Shell and Searcher projects…