A Texas-based oil company with links to US President Donald Trump is preparing to begin exploratory drilling in Greenland despite not yet receiving the necessary approval from the territory’s authorities, raising fresh concerns over Greenland’s sovereignty, environmental protections and Washington’s ambitions in the Arctic.

Greenland Energy, a Texas company established last year, has reportedly brought drilling equipment ashore in the remote Jameson Land region on Greenland’s eastern coast. The move prompted Greenland’s government to issue a strong warning that the company had not been authorized to land the equipment.

Greenlandic authorities said that all future logistical operations connected to the project must be submitted to and approved by the territory’s mineral resources authority before they are carried out.

Greenland Energy executives have claimed that as much as $1 trillion worth of crude oil could lie beneath the Jameson Land region. The company had initially announced plans to spend approximately $60 million drilling two exploratory wells to assess the area’s potential.

Greenland halted the issuance of new oil exploration licenses in 2021, citing environmental concerns. However, the British company 80 Mile had previously secured exploration rights in Jameson Land.

According to Greenland Energy’s corporate filings, the Texas company intends to acquire a majority stake in the project in exchange for financing the exploration work. The company nevertheless still requires approval from Greenlandic authorities before drilling can proceed.

The project has attracted heightened attention because of its links to Trump’s political circle and his repeated statements about the strategic importance of Greenland.

The controversy intensified after residents in the sparsely populated Jameson Land region observed a tugboat towing a barge toward the coast and unloading around a dozen containers.

Greenland’s government said the equipment was brought ashore in connection with Greenland Energy’s planned exploratory drilling operation.

The Danish investigative outlet Danwatch reported that the shipping company involved confirmed that the delivery was being made for Greenland Energy.

The company had previously caused confusion over whether it had received permission to land drilling equipment. A company representative reportedly told a community meeting in June that the necessary authorization had been granted, a claim later disputed.

Greenland Energy chair Larry Swets subsequently acknowledged that the company’s enthusiasm for the project had led it to communicate in a way that created confusion.

The developments come as Trump continues to publicly promote US control over Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

Trump recently posted an image on his Truth Social account depicting himself looming over a Greenlandic settlement, renewing attention to his longstanding interest in acquiring the Arctic territory.

Greenland’s elected authorities retain control over the territory’s natural resources, creating a potentially sensitive situation as they weigh whether to approve the drilling project.

The situation is particularly complicated by environmental concerns. The planned wells appear to fall within an area covered by protections under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, according to the report.

Greenland’s government said that demanding the immediate removal of the equipment already brought ashore would not be proportionate. It added that an application for permission remained under consideration.

Greenland Energy has declined to respond directly to questions about the project.

However, in a letter to shareholders issued Thursday, the company said recent high-level meetings with Greenlandic regulatory and oversight authorities had been constructive. It said it remained encouraged by progress toward obtaining the approvals needed for drilling.

The company also indicated that, following those discussions, it now plans to begin with one exploratory well rather than two.

Greenland Energy has said a vessel carrying approximately 300 containers of drilling equipment is scheduled to depart Canada on September 12, with drilling expected to begin in October, subject to the necessary approvals.

The drilling plans have emerged against the backdrop of growing geopolitical competition over Greenland and the wider Arctic, where governments are increasingly focused on natural resources, strategic waterways and military positioning.

Greenland’s local authorities now face a difficult decision: approving the project could open the door to oil exploration despite longstanding environmental restrictions, while rejecting it could further intensify political tensions surrounding US interest in the territory.

Jeff Landry, the conservative governor of Louisiana who has been serving as Trump’s envoy to Greenland, has previously suggested that Greenland could begin producing oil as early as next year.

The dispute over Greenland Energy’s drilling plans therefore goes beyond a single exploration project, placing questions of resource control, environmental protection and Greenland’s political autonomy at the center of an increasingly sensitive Arctic debate. (ILKHA)