TotalEnergies Exploration and Production South Africa (TotalEnergies EP SA) has called for improvements to South Africa’s regulatory appeals and permitting processes, saying prolonged delays are holding back offshore oil and gas exploration and investment.
Speaking during a panel discussion at African Energy Week 2026 in Cape Town, TotalEnergies EP SA managing director Magali Pailhé said several offshore exploration projects remained at different stages of appeal, preventing the company from advancing their potential.
“Today, we have blocks offshore in the Orange Basin that TotalEnergies has proven in Namibia, but are blocked in various stages of appeal,” Pailhé said.
She called for a more streamlined process to enable exploration projects to progress and attract investment into South Africa’s oil and gas industry.
Regulatory Delays Affect Exploration Activity
Pailhé highlighted the difference in exploration drilling activity between South Africa and Namibia. According to her, 25 wells have been drilled in Namibia since 2022, compared with only three in South Africa since 2014.
She said the presence of major international oil and gas companies demonstrated that investors were interested in South Africa, but that a more predictable regulatory environment was needed to move projects forward.
Pailhé proposed that special courts could help expedite appeals involving strategic energy projects. She also emphasised the importance of establishing a clear and competitive regulatory framework.
According to Pailhé, obtaining permits can take approximately one to three years in some European and African jurisdictions, compared with five to seven years in South Africa.
Significant Investment Potential in the Orange Basin
TotalEnergies EP SA holds exploration interests in the Orange Deepwater Basin, the Deep Western Orange Basin and Block 3B/4B.
Pailhé said exploration wells typically require investments of approximately US$100 million to US$150 million. If commercially viable reserves are confirmed, subsequent development could require investment running into billions of dollars.
She also pointed to the potential scale of resources in the Orange Basin, citing an estimate of 16 billion barrels of oil. This figure represents potential rather than confirmed, commercially recoverable reserves.
According to Pailhé, successful development could support employment, infrastructure investment, exports, government revenue and skills development.
Unlocking Future Offshore Development
The company’s comments underline the importance of regulatory certainty in offshore oil and gas development, where exploration and production projects require substantial capital and long planning periods.
While geological potential can attract investor interest, projects must still progress through permitting, appeals, exploration and commercial evaluation before development decisions can be made.
TotalEnergies EP SA is calling for a process that allows outstanding appeals to be addressed more efficiently and gives investors greater clarity on the path from exploration to production.
