Greenland warns oil firm over drilling without required approvals

Greenland Energy plans two wells in Jameson Land for $60 million

Greenland’s government said the oil-drilling operation in Jameson Land began without the approvals required by the mineral resources authority. “The Department of Industry and Minerals can, in connection with the above, state that the licensee did not have the necessary approvals from the mineral resources authority in place before initiating this operation,” the government said in a statement. The statement added that the government was sending a “strong warning” to the operators behind the move.

Local residents in the southeastern region of Jameson Land recently spotted a barge carrying drilling equipment, The Guardian reported. The equipment belongs to Greenland Energy, a Texas-based oil company whose chairman, Larry Swets, is part of President Donald Trump’s inner circle, according to UPI.

Greenland Energy officials said they plan to spend $60 million to drill two wells in Jameson Land, The Guardian reported. The company believes there could be as much as $1 trillion of crude in the region.

The project involves exploration rights previously held by British company 80 Mile. In exchange for funding exploration, Greenland Energy would retain a majority of the proceeds from the venture, the Helsinki Times reported. Transferring the rights still requires government approval, which Greenland Energy has not yet obtained. “The approval has since expired and has not currently been renewed, but is under processing,” the government said.

A Greenland Energy spokesperson said the company has 300 containers of drilling equipment ready to be shipped from Canada in September, with the goal of launching operations in earnest in October, The Guardian reported. Greenland has not issued oil licenses since 2021 because of environmental concerns.

Two days after a rebuke from the Greenlandic government, Trump posted on Truth Social an AI-generated image showing a giant Trump looming over the island with the words “Hello, Greenland!” Trump has for years been adamant in his desire to annex Greenland. He has claimed the United States needs it “for defense.” In January, he told European leaders that one of the reasons he renewed his push to own the territory was because he did not win the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump has been rebuffed by officials in both Denmark and Greenland, according to UPI.