Greenland · Energy

Greenland Issues Warning to Trump-Linked Firm Over Unapproved Drilling Operations

Greenland's government has issued a stern warning to a Texas-based oil company, linked to businessman Larry Swets Jr. and reportedly associated with former U.S. President Donald Trump, for moving drilling equipment without proper authorization for its Jameson Land project.

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Drilling equipment being prepared for potential oil exploration in Greenland.

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Greenland Warns Trump-Linked Firm over Unauthorized Drilling Plan

By Tsvetana Paraskova - Aug 10, 2026, 3:00 PM CDT

A Texas oil company backed by Trump-linked businessman Larry Swets Jr. is preparing to drill for oil in Greenland, despite authorities warning that equipment movements were not properly authorized.
The Jameson Land project could mark Greenland’s first major oil drilling campaign in years, but the venture still faces regulatory hurdles and the Arctic’s extreme costs and logistical challenges.
Greenland abandoned new oil exploration in 2021 after decades of failed drilling, with analysts warning that its potentially vast resources remain difficult and expensive to develop.

Greenland Nuuk

A Texas-based oil company chaired by an entrepreneur thought to be close to U.S. President Donald Trump is moving drilling equipment in Greenland in preparation for an oil drilling campaign.

However, the drilling plans or the moving of the equipment have not been authorized by the Greenland authorities yet, although a process to do so is under review at present.

That’s why Greenland’s government has recently said a strong warning would be sent to the licensee “with a warning that all future logistical matters must be advised and approved by the mineral resources authority – before they are carried out.”

The licensee is London-listed company 80 Mile, but its partner in the operation is U.S. Greenland Energy Company, which has said it will fund 100% of the costs associated with up to two exploration wells, designed to delineate the hydrocarbon potential of a project in the Jameson Land Basin.

Larry Swets, Jr., believed to be close to President Trump, is chairman of the board at Greenland Energy.

This weekend, Swets reposted on X on the issue with the lack of authorization with a “well said” commentary on a post that an article in The Guardian was “seemingly determined to manufacture a Trump controversy while burying the facts” about 80 Mile and Greenland Energy.

The Greenland government said in its statement that no approval was granted at the time of the moving of the equipment. But authorities noted that “an approval to move drilling equipment has since expired and has not been renewed, but is under consideration.”

In a letter to shareholders last week, Greenland Energy said it “has continued advancing preparations for what we believe will be one of the most significant onshore exploration programs undertaken in Greenland in decades.”

80 Mile Plc, the licensee of the Jameson Land joint venture, continues to lead the permitting process and stakeholder engagement. Greenland Energy, for its part, “remains actively engaged in supporting technical planning, operational readiness, logistics, and overall project coordination.”

“Together, our objective is to ensure that once all required approvals are received, the project is positioned to commence drilling safely, efficiently, and in accordance with Greenland's rigorous regulatory standards,” 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 company told shareholders.

Following discussions with government officials, the parties agreed that concentrating the 2026-2027 Winter program on one exploration well, rather than pursuing two wells during the current field season, represents the most responsible course of action, Greenland Energy said. Related: Egypt and Libya Near $1 Billion Oil Pipeline Deal

Greenland has seen oil exploration since the 1970s involving major oil firms, including ExxonMobil, Shell, and Eni. None has resulted in a major discovery.

If Greenland Energy’s project moves to drilling, it would be the first in Greenland in many years and a potential restart of oil exploration in Denmark’s autonomous territory that’s the size of about a fourth of the continental U.S.

Greenland is estimated to hold oil and gas resources, as well as critical minerals and rare earth elements—all of which could be great assets to its holders.

But that’s only in theory.

In practice, Greenland’s resources are extremely expensive and hard to extract. The lack of energy infrastructure or any processing capabilities puts in doubt the feasibility and economic rationale of trying to mine rare earths and critical minerals, analysts say.

Following 50 years of unsuccessful and sporadic exploration in the inhospitable Arctic climate and waters, Greenland abandoned the quest for oil in 2021. Back then, the government of Greenland said that it considered that the environmental concerns were far greater than the potential benefits of becoming an oil producer.

“Despite its hydrocarbon and critical mineral potential, Greenland is not Venezuela 2.0.,” Wood Mackenzie’s top analysts say, noting that the large island is remote, inhospitable, underexplored, difficult to explore, and very high cost.

Major oil companies have seen harsh operating environments, but Greenland is on another level, WoodMac’s Simon Flowers and Gavin Thompson wrote.

Short summers, thick ice requiring icebreakers and specialized offshore equipment for surveys or exploration, and fewer than 100 miles of paved roads, although its territory is about 25% of the size of the continental U.S., discourage resource development offshore and onshore Greenland.

Throughout its decades-long history of exploration, Greenland has seen just 25 exploration wells drilled, predominantly in the Southwest basin. Each was unsuccessful, Wood Mackenzie notes.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Tsvetana Paraskova

What I Cover Tsvetana Paraskova is an energy and commodities journalist who has contributed to Oilprice.com for nearly a decade, covering global energy markets, commodities,…

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