An American oil company linked to President Donald Trump's circle has begun supplying drilling equipment to Greenland without obtaining permission from local authorities, The Guardian reports.
The incident comes amid new threats from the U.S. president to establish control over the Arctic territory.
The Greenland government issued a 'stern warning' to Greenland Energy, stating that no permission had been granted for moving equipment to the island's eastern shore. Authorities have demanded that all further logistics be coordinated with the mineral resources department.
According to The Guardian, in recent days, a barge has delivered a cargo ship to the shore of the Jameson Land area and unloaded about a dozen containers of equipment. A representative of the shipping company confirmed that the cargo belonged to Greenland Energy.
The company, established in Texas last year, plans to spend about $60 million on drilling two wells in Jameson Land. Its executives claim that there may be up to $1 trillion worth of oil reserves there.
At the same time, Greenland has not issued new licenses for oil exploration since 2021 for environmental reasons. The British company 80 Mile previously obtained exploration rights in Jameson Land, and Greenland Energy plans to acquire a controlling stake in the project in exchange for financing the work.
To start drilling, the company still needs permission from the Greenlandic authorities.
In June, a representative of Greenland Energy had already stated at a meeting with residents of Jameson Land that the company had supposedly received permission to move the equipment. Later, the chairman of the board of directors, Larry Sweats, admitted that the statements made by project representatives could have caused confusion due to their 'enthusiasm.'
Now, the Greenland authorities have stated that the application for conducting the work is still under discussion. At the same time, they consider the demand to remove the already moved equipment to be 'an excessive measure.'
The situation is further exacerbated by Trump's ongoing statements about the need to establish control over Greenland. Two days after the unloading of the equipment, the U.S. president posted a photo on Truth Social where he 'looms' over a settlement in Greenland.
Greenland Energy insists that the oil project is not connected to American plans for annexing the territory. The company hopes to begin drilling the first well in October. Trump's representative for Greenland, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, had previously stated that the island could start producing oil as early as next year.
