Greenland Warns a Trump-Linked Oil Firm That Moved Drilling Rigs In Without the Required Approvals

Greenland's government has issued what it called a strong warning to Greenland Energy, a Texas-based oil company whose chairman, Larry Swets, has been described as part of Trump's inner circle, after residents of the Jameson Land area spotted a barge carrying drilling equipment. The Department of Industry and Minerals said the licensee did not have the necessary approvals from the mineral resources authority in place before initiating the operation, and that a required approval has expired and is under processing. The company acquired exploration rights previously held by the British firm 80 Mile; transferring those rights still requires government approval. Greenland Energy has said it plans to spend $60 million drilling two wells and aims to begin operations in earnest in October.

The episode links Trump's repeated push to acquire Greenland to a private venture connected to his circle that is moving ahead of local permitting.

Greenland has not issued new oil licenses since 2021 on environmental grounds. Two days after the government's rebuke, Trump posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social showing himself looming over the island.