Environmental Authorisation | Bizcommunity

Environmental Authorisation | Bizcommunity

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Source: Reuters.

Renewables & Energy Efficiency

South Africa's first offshore wind farm delayed as World Bank highlights potential

17 Sep 2026

Image supplied.

Coal, Oil & Gas

SA's energy needs and environmental protection square off in court

5 Jun 2026

On Monday, fishers and environmental activists picketed outside the Cape High Court on the first day of a case against the government granting environmental authorisation for seismic surveys off the West Coast. Photo: Liezl Human.

Coal, Oil & Gas

Fishers in court to stop West Coast oil search

Liezl Human 2 Jun 2026

Image credit: The Green Connection

Mining

Mining companies and land rights in South Africa: how environmentalists have used the law to defend communities

Mzingaye Brilliant Xaba 26 Mar 2026

Small-scale fishers from the West Coast picketed outside the Cape High Court on Monday. Photo: Liezl Human

Coal, Oil & Gas

TotalEnergies in court over offshore oil and gas drilling

Liezl Human 24 Mar 2026

Source: GroundUp. Bulk services work on Botmaskop Estate at Helshoogte outside Stellenbosch before an April 2025 interdict prohibited any further construction.

Property Development

Judgment reserved in Stellenbosch luxury estate battle

John Yeld 16 Mar 2026

South Africa set to modernise environmental governance with major EIA reforms

Environment & Natural Resources

South Africa set to modernise environmental governance with major EIA reforms

10 Mar 2026

Under the South African sun — the economics of sunshine

Renewables & Energy Efficiency

Under the South African sun — the economics of sunshine

Rushil Rattan 24 Feb 2026

Image credit: Reuters/May James

Coal, Oil & Gas

New PetroSA deal sees Shell tightening its grip on Orange Basin

8 Dec 2025

Four months ago, final environmental authorisation was given for the construction of a second nuclear power plant for South Africa at Duynefontein, which currently hosts the 1,940-megawatt (MW) Koeberg nuclear facility, pictured above. Photo: Brent Meersman

Nuclear Power

Eskom starts environmental assessment for a third nuclear power station

John Yeld 3 Dec 2025

Image credit: Reuters

Coal, Oil & Gas

Shell, govt apply for leave to appeal court's block 5/6/7 ruling

23 Oct 2025

Image: Port of Ngqura -

Shipping

Port of Ngqura promises to be one of the best in Africa

6 Oct 2025

About 200 activists marched to the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday to support Wild Coast communities opposing seismic surveys and oil exploration rights granted to Shell and Impact Africa. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee

Inclusion, Empowerment & Social Justice

Activists march against Shell’s oil exploration

Ihsaan Haffejee and Thamsanqa Mbovane 17 Sep 2025

Image credit: on

Inclusion, Empowerment & Social Justice

Why environmentalists are battling the Karpowership project in court

16 Sep 2025

Image credit: The Green Connection

Coal, Oil & Gas

South African environmental groups push to block Shell’s new wells – how world court opinion might help

Angela van der Berg 10 Sep 2025

Coal, Oil & Gas

Western Cape court halts TotalEnergies' offshore drilling over EIA failings

14 Aug 2025

Image credit: Eskom

Nuclear Power

Controversial Cape nuclear power plant gets green light

8 Aug 2025

Image credit: Abdellah Photographie on Pexels

Coal, Oil & Gas

Shell gets go-ahead to drill off SA's west coast

11 Jul 2025

TNPA invites bids for new liquid bulk terminal at Port of Ngqura

Logistics & Transport

TNPA invites bids for new liquid bulk terminal at Port of Ngqura

27 Jun 2025

Source: Holland & Associates (fair use). The Namaquasfontein Skool Dam was illegally enlarged in 2017.

Construction & Engineering

Illegal enlargement of West Coast farm dam condoned

John Yeld 27 Jun 2025

Image: Africa Energy

Coal, Oil & Gas

Africa Energy sees first output from South Africa's largest gas field by 2033

Wendell Roelf 19 Jun 2025

Source: © SABC The Draft Mineral Resources Development Bill, 2025 (Bill) proposes several noteworthy amendments to the current regulatory framework for mineral resources including addressing tailing dumps and associated issues to avoid disasters such as the Jagersfontein disaster

Energy & Mining

11 MPRDA amendments to take note of

Webber Wentzel partners and consultant 22 May 2025

Further work on the Botsmaskop Fynbos Estate has been halted by the Western Cape High Court. Photo from an appendix in court papers.

Land Policy, Reform & Restitution

Court halts further work on luxury Stellenbosch mountain estate

John Yeld 23 Apr 2025

All infrastructure work on the R300m Botmaskop Fynbos Estate on the Helshoogte Pass between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek has already been completed. Photo from an appendix in the respondent’s court papers.

Property

Parties hold their breath in battle over R300m Stellenbosch mountain estate

John Yeld 26 Feb 2025

Renergen starts 2025 with helium hurdles and legal battles

Renewables & Energy Efficiency

Renergen starts 2025 with helium hurdles and legal battles

Lindsey Schutters 7 Jan 2025

Fishers in Port Nolloth are opposing TotalEnergies’ bid to explore for gas and oil off the West Coast. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp

Environment & Natural Resources

Court bid to block TotalEnergies gas project off West Coast

7 Nov 2024

Local community members and supporters of Sustaining the Wild Coast and Greenpeace celebrated a court victory outside the Eastern Cape High Court in Makhanda in September 2022. Archive photo: Lucas Nowicki / GroundUp

Environment & Natural Resources

Court asked to stop Shell’s seismic tests once and for all

Tania Broughton 2 Jul 2024

A government proposal to drop some statutory safeguards for the Kruger National Park has raised the alarm among some experts. Photos: John Yeld

Environment & Natural Resources

New proposal puts Kruger National Park’s environmental safeguards 'at risk'

John Yeld 31 May 2024

The Western Cape High Court has dismissed an attempt by Noordhoek environmentalists to set aside approval for a road link in an area where the endangered Western Leopard Toad breeds. Archive photo: John Yeld / GroundUp

Environment & Natural Resources

Judge rules for 'road' in legal clash with 'toads'

John Yeld 24 Apr 2024

The Alexkor coffer-dam wall between two dams at high tide. Photos from a Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment report titled: “Enforcement: In Loco Inspection Report – The salt/tidal flats of the Orange River Mouth Ramsar site”, published 28 January 2020.

Environment & Natural Resources

Alexkor vs Creecy in environment court battle

John Yeld 12 Apr 2024

The green area is where Searcher Geodata will do its seismic survey in 2024. Map from consultant’s environmental assessment report

Environment & Natural Resources

Australian company to start seismic survey off West Coast in January

Steve Kretzmann 7 Dec 2023

Image source: Kervin Edward Lara from

Environment & Natural Resources

Requirements for environmental authorisation for renewable energy facility published

6 Dec 2023

Sand mining company appeals against refusal of water licence in Philippi

Agriculture

Sand mining company appeals against refusal of water licence in Philippi

Liezl Human 26 Oct 2023

Coal, Oil & Gas

South Africa gives go-ahead for TotalEnergies offshore drilling

Wendell Roelf 2 Oct 2023

Image source: Jean van der Meulen from

Environment & Natural Resources

First National Biodiversity Offset Guideline published

26 Jun 2023

#BizTrends2023: New power supply model to transform SA's energy market

Trends

#BizTrends2023: New power supply model to transform SA's energy market

Niveshen Govender 9 Jan 2023

Environmental authorisations may no longer be required for solar PV installations

Renewables & Energy Efficiency

Environmental authorisations may no longer be required for solar PV installations

Garyn Rapson and Nonhlanhla Mnengi 28 Sep 2022

Seismic judgment: Court overturns exploration rights granted to Shell

Sustainability

Seismic judgment: Court overturns exploration rights granted to Shell

Tania Broughton 1 Sep 2022

SA's energy crisis: the practical implications of government's proposed interventions

Energy

SA's energy crisis: the practical implications of government's proposed interventions

Jason van der Poel, Mzukisi Kota, Hielien Venter, Aviva Hoekstra, Emma Bleeker 8 Aug 2022

Members of the Goringhaicona and others opposing the River Club development celebrate the dismissal of an urgent application to depose Tauriq Jenkins (centre) as supreme high commissioner of the Goringhaicona Khoi Khoin Indigenous Traditional Council. Together with the Observatory Civic Association, the council has led litigation against the development. Photo: Steve Kretzmann / GroundUp

Land & Property Law

River Club contempt of court hearing pushed back another week

Steve Kretzmann 28 Jul 2022

Energy

Eskom set to expand power lines without environmental authorisation, Ramaphosa says

Katja Hamilton 25 Jul 2022

Creecy announces new EA process for renewable energy projects

Environment & Natural Resources

Creecy announces new EA process for renewable energy projects

22 Jul 2022

Image source: Brad Weaver from

Environmental Law

Have your say on hydraulic fracturing / fracking

14 Jul 2022

Image source: Vladislav Gajic –

Environmental Law

Big shift to environmental legislative landscape is finally here

Garyn Rapson, Kirsty Kilner & Carma Rossouw 28 Jun 2022

Court bid to stop Shell seismic survey off Wild Coast underway

Environment & Natural Resources

Court bid to stop Shell seismic survey off Wild Coast underway

Tania Broughton 30 May 2022

Landowner consent requirement withdrawn for mining-related EA applications

Mining

Landowner consent requirement withdrawn for mining-related EA applications

Garyn Rapson and Tendai Bonga 11 Mar 2022

Western Cape government joins battle over mining

Mining

Western Cape government joins battle over mining

John Yeld 23 Feb 2022