TotalEnergies' South African oil exploration plans thwarted by court

[Exterior view of the headquarters of the oil company TotalEnergies, formerly known as Total]
HJBC/iStock Editorial via Getty Images

A South African court overturned [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-13/south-african-court-halts-approval-for-totalenergies-oil-block] a decision granting TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/TTE]) environmental authorization for an oil exploration block offshore the country's west coast, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

The Western Cape High Court ruled the environmental impact assessment for TotalEnergies' (NYSE:TTE [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/TTE]) Block 5/6/7 was "deeply flawed, failing to address key risks, legal requirements, and public participation," according to one of the environmental groups that brought the case.

The court said TotalEnergies (TTE [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/TTE]) should be allowed to reapply for the environmental authorization and conduct public participation in the process.

TotalEnergies (TTE [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/TTE]) and Shell have ramped up preparations to drill in South Africa after recent discoveries across the maritime border in Namibia turned the area into an exploration hotspot.

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