Shell Offshore Upstream South Africa B.V. and its Joint Venture partners currently hold an Exploration Right for the Licence Block Northern Cape Ultra Deep (NCUD) off the west coast of South Africa. To begin their activities, Shell and its partners must conduct an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for their proposed activities.
The ESIA consists of two phases, the Scoping Phase and Impact Assessment Phase. SLR Consulting has been chosen as the Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) to conduct the ESIA.
The ESIA is currently in the Scoping Phase. The draft Scoping Report is available for public comment. If Environmental Authorisation is granted, the drilling activities are planned to begin in 2026 or 2027.
The proposed project area extends from about 300 km offshore of Port Nolloth south along the western coastline towards Strandfontein, about 5,254km2 in size. The area is in waters of approximately 2,500 m to 3,200 m deep.
This pamphlet was developed in August 2024 and can be downloaded in Afrikaans and isiXhosa.
