GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The Plett Environmental Forum plans to submit a detailed objection for the proposed off-shore gas exploration project by Total Energies along the south coast of the Garden Route, stretching from Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay.
The forum is to circulate its summary to members and people who wish to object and also plans a public protest against the application known as TEEPSA Block 11B/12B. Julie Carlisle, of the forum, said they are waiting for permission to hold a peaceful protest on Saturday 18 November from 12:00.
"We are awaiting permission from the authorities for this to ensure compliance and will, as soon as we can, circulate details in this regard," she said.
The forum's strong objection to the gas drilling project will be circulated to two other environmental organisations, Natural Justice and the Green Connection.
They are also including Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell.
In a framework containing their main objections, the forum says the application by Teepsa is incomplete and only describes a portion of the required work for implementation. There is no purchase agreement in place for the gas.
The existing F-A Platform where the gas would be processed is not included in the assessment. The risks associated with the project, including negative impacts and/or losses of habitat and livelihoods, far outweigh the benefits for local communities, livelihoods (fishers, tourism) and the environment.
The forum argues that the need and desirability for mining gas for power generation is questionable. Renewable energy and battery storage (possibly green hydrogen) can provide less costly generating capacity while greatly reducing the environmental risks of gas.
"There are too many gaps in marine science knowledge for such a high-risk application and the precautionary principle must apply. Further research is required for a comprehensive understanding of marine ecosystems and the cumulative impacts of proposed activities over time," reads the framework.
"The socio-economic impacts are also unacceptable as the potential devastation to coastal areas in the event of a well 'blow-out' would be disastrous, affecting coastal estuaries and beaches. Under normal operating conditions, there will be impacts to fish spawning areas, potential impacts to whale migration routes and thus impacts to the tourism industry, which drives much of the economy of the Garden Route."
It also says the area of operation overlaps with commercial and small-scale fishing grounds, impacting on the livelihoods of communities dependent on income from these areas.
Other objections listed include:
- The environmental impacts are unconscionable. The activities will devastate marine life on the seabed in the area of operation due to sediment and toxic chemicals discharged during drilling.
- Underwater noise will affect marine mammals - whales, dolphins and seals
- The migration routes of marine mammals will be affected
- Fish, plankton, seabirds and fish and squid spawning areas will be affected.
- Block 11B/12B is an area with many endemic, vulnerable and endangered species
- Critical biodiversity areas, ecological support areas, and several Marine Protected Areas will be impacted due to sub-sea infrastructure and drilling discharges.
- Plettenberg Bay is a Whale Heritage Site.
The forum also argues that the application and associated reports do not align, saying that the developers claim job creation as a result of the gas extraction, which will not be the case.
In addition, they say, the public participation has been inadequate.
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