Ramaphosa lauds discovery of offshore oil - Political Analysis South Africa

The French oil firm Total's discovery of hydrocarbon products off the coast of South Africa will have significant consequences for the country's energy security and the development of the hydrocarbon industry, President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

The president said this on Thursday, 7 February 2019, when he delivered the State of the Nation Address during a joint sitting of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces. South Africa is not an oil producing nation currently.

Just hours earlier on the same day, Total announced that it had made a significant gas condensate discovery on the Brulpadda prospects, located on Block 11B/12B in the Outeniqua Basin, 175 km off the southern coast of South Africa.

"This could well be a game-changer for our country. We are extremely encouraged by the report about the Brulpadda block in the Outeniqua Basin, which some have described as a catalytic find", Ramaphosa said.

"We congratulate Total and its various partners and wish them well in their endeavours. Government will continue to develop legislation for the sector so that it is properly regulated for the interests of all concerned", he said.

Total Senior Vice President for Exploration, Kevin McLachlan, said the Brulpadda discovery was drilled in a challenging deep water environment.

"With this discovery, Total has opened a new world-class gas and oil play and is well positioned to test several follow-on prospects on the same block", McLachlan said.

Total drilled this exploration well with the latest generation drilling ship and was able to leverage its experience in similar environments such as the West of Shetland in Britain.

– APA