TotalEnergies will host public consultations in Windhoek this week as part of its environmental assessment for the proposed offshore Venus oil project in Namibia.
This week, consultations will take place at the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre on April 22 and at the United Nations Plaza on April 23.
In the first phase of the Venus project, TotalEnergies aims to produce around 150,000 barrels of oil per day offshore Namibia.
Since early April, the consultation process has included meetings in Keetmanshoop, Bethanie, and Oranjemund.
In the coming weeks, TotalEnergies will extend consultations to coastal towns, including Swakopmund, Henties Bay, and Walvis Bay.
These meetings form a key part of the environmental and social impact assessment, enabling officials to collect input from affected communities, local leaders, and other stakeholders.
Laurent Roché, Managing Director for Exploration and Production at TotalEnergies, explained that the Venus project is a joint effort involving Impact Oil and Gas, Namcor, Qatar Energy, and TotalEnergies.
Urban Dynamics is leading the public consultations, aiming to inform communities about the project’s timelines, environmental factors, and potential social impacts.
Roché noted that the sessions take various forms—such as open houses, focus groups, and formal meetings—to ensure that all participants can engage in ways that suit them best.
He added that community members are encouraged to ask questions and offer feedback directly to representatives from TotalEnergies and Namcor.
These consultations mark the beginning of the environmental and social impact assessment process, specifically the scoping phase.
The project partners are collecting stakeholder feedback on potential impacts, which independent experts from SLR Environmental Consulting will study before presenting findings to both the public and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
So far, local residents, youth, and business owners have shown strong interest in the sessions, with some meetings running beyond scheduled times due to active engagement.
Roché confirmed that more than 750 people from the //Kharas region have attended the consultations and thanked them for their time and valuable contributions.
source;namibian.com.na
