An American oil company with ties to Donald Trump is moving ahead with plans to drill in Greenland, even though local authorities have not approved the work. Equipment for the drilling was brought ashore on Greenland’s eastern coast in recent days.
Greenland’s government responded by issuing a warning, saying no permission had been given to land the equipment. The company involved, Greenland Energy, is a Texas-based firm that was set up last year, reports The Guardian.
The move comes as Trump continues to push for the US to take control of Greenland. Two days after the government’s statement, Trump posted an image on Truth Social showing himself standing over a Greenlandic village, with the caption “hello Greenland.” The post follows a pattern of provocative online messaging from Trump about the island, which has previously drawn public demonstrations in Greenland’s capital.
Company says talks with regulators are ongoing
Greenland’s government said in its statement, “All future logistical matters must be advised and approved by the mineral resources authority, before they are carried out.” The statement came after materials for exploratory drilling were unloaded on the island’s eastern shore.
Executives at Greenland Energy have said that as much as $1tn worth of crude oil could be sitting underneath the Jameson Land region. The company has announced plans to spend $60m drilling two wells to check if that oil is really there.
Greenland stopped handing out new oil licences in 2021, citing environmental concerns. However, a UK company called 80 Mile had already secured exploration rights in Jameson Land before that. According to Greenland Energy’s corporate filings, the company plans to take a majority stake in the project by paying for the exploration work, though it still needs government approval before it can proceed.
Greenland Energy has hired Phil McGraw, the television personality known as Dr Phil, who once served on Trump’s religious freedom commission, to produce a documentary series about the project.
The company has also named a US navy veteran to its board of directors, who is separately working on Golden Dome, a missile defence programme that Trump has linked to controlling Greenland. That program has featured in wider disputes over whether US influence in the Arctic depends on owning territory within NATO.
Larry Swets, who chairs Greenland Energy and holds a large stake in the company, has denied any link to Trump’s push to annex Greenland. He said the oil project is “not related to American annexation.”
In June, a company representative wrongly told local residents at a community meeting in Jameson Land that the firm already had permission to bring in drilling equipment. Responding to that, Swets said, “Our enthusiasm for the project led us to communicate in a way that created confusion.”
The following month, residents in the area saw a tug boat pulling a barge toward shore and unloading a dozen containers. Greenland’s government said in its statement, “The goal was to get the equipment onshore at Nunap Qeqqa [Jameson Land] in connection with planned oil exploration drilling.” The Danish investigative outlet Danwatch reported that the head of the shipping company confirmed the delivery was made for Greenland Energy.
In a letter sent to shareholders, Greenland Energy said, “Recent high-level meetings between project leadership and Greenlandic regulatory and oversight authorities have been constructive, and we continue to be encouraged by the progress being made toward the remaining approvals required for drilling.” The letter also said that, following those talks, the company now plans to drill just one well to start, instead of two.
Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, which means decisions about its natural resources are made by its own elected leaders. Those leaders now have to decide whether to approve the drilling, even though the planned wells appear to sit inside a conservation area protected under the Ramsar convention on wetlands, an international agreement on protecting wetlands.
Some Greenlanders have previously taken to the streets to oppose Trump’s plans for the island, reflecting broader unease over outside interest in their territory. Greenland’s government said in its statement that it “would not be proportionate” to demand that the equipment be removed from the island. It added that an application for permission to proceed was still being processed.
A representative for Greenland Energy has said that a ship carrying 300 shipping containers of drilling equipment is set to leave Canada on 12 September. According to the company, drilling would then begin in October.
Jeff Landry, the governor of Louisiana who is serving as Trump’s envoy on Greenland matters, has said that Greenland could begin pumping oil as early as next year.
Published: Aug 9, 2026 11:30 am