Trump-linked Greenland oil project moves drilling equipment without authorization

A company tied to allies of Donald Trump has transferred drilling equipment to Greenland without authorisation, according to a government notice cited in the supplied material. The move is linked to a planned oil project in the remote Jameson Land area in the east of the territory. First drilling is scheduled for October, raising fresh attention on Arctic resource development and local opposition.

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The company, White Flame Energy, was said to have moved packed and stored drilling equipment from Tasiilaq to Nerlerit Inaat without permission from the local authorities. Greenland's Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources was informed of the transfer, and the stated aim was to land the equipment in Nunap Qeqqa, also known as Jameson Land, for drilling. The material says the operation involved 15 containers and heavy construction machinery arriving at the end of July.

White Flame Energy holds three valid exploration licences, acquired in 2014 and 2018, which remain in force. The company was later bought by 80 Mile PLC, which is partnered with Greenland Energy, a company created in 2025 by allies of Trump. The executive Robert Price has estimated that the area may contain 13 billion barrels of oil, although that figure is presented as an estimate rather than a confirmed reserve.

The case matters because Greenland has become a focal point in wider debates over Arctic energy, sovereignty and environmental protection. The territory is autonomous within the Kingdom of Denmark, and the report says Nuuk stopped issuing new oil exploration licences in 2021. That decision has increased the significance of existing permits, especially in a region where any large-scale extraction project would require transport, infrastructure and regulatory approval in difficult conditions.

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Local opposition has already emerged. Residents protested on 13 July over the environmental impact of the project, saying they feared damage to hunting culture and their traditional way of life. The supplied material also notes that the arrival of the equipment at Nerlerit Inaat drew attention because the airstrip normally receives only a few aircraft each week and sits in a remote area with limited infrastructure.

The broader political backdrop includes a social media post by Donald Trump on 1 August in which he said Greenland would be under United States control by 2029. The supplied material does not say the post was linked directly to the drilling transfer, but it adds to the sensitivity around any project involving Trump-aligned business interests in the territory. What remains unclear is whether Greenlandic authorities will take further action over the unauthorised transfer, and whether the planned October drilling can proceed on schedule.

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