{"id":51500,"date":"2026-08-09T12:24:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T10:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/us-oil-company-will-not-get-drilling-permits-in-east-greenland-this-year\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T12:47:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T10:47:33","slug":"us-oil-company-will-not-get-drilling-permits-in-east-greenland-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danwatch.dk\/en\/us-oil-company-will-not-get-drilling-permits-in-east-greenland-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"US oil company will not get drilling permits in East Greenland this year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Under the headline \u201cHeading for Greenland\u201d, just over a week ago a photo was posted on LinkedIn <\/a>of the drilling rig that the US oil company Greenland Energy wants to send from Canada to Greenland as part of its hunt for oil in Jameson Land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And on Thursday, the oil company then issued a stock exchange announcement<\/a>, in which it writes that the permits are progressing and that it is still working to drill for oil in East Greenland in December:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe latest meetings between project management and the Greenlandic authorities have been constructive, and we remain confident about the progress being made in the work to obtain the final approvals required before drilling can begin,\u201d it says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danwatch can now reveal that Greenland Energy, according to the Ministry of Mineral Resources, will not obtain the permits this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neither to land 300 containers and a drilling rig, nor to carry out exploratory drilling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is clear after Naalakkersuisut published new details about the oil project in Jameson Land on a new information page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

91 days of public consultations still missing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It states that the project is still only at the first of a total of 11 steps in the exploration phase, where the company investigates whether there is oil or gas underground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naalakkersuisut writes that Greenland Energy has met most of the requirements in the first part of the process. But before the company can be granted permission to carry out exploratory drilling in Jameson Land, it must submit a project description as well as an environmental and social study \u2013 the so-called EIA and SIA reports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These still need to be prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that is where the arithmetic becomes interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the project description has been received, it must be put out for public consultation for 35 days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that, the consultation responses must be processed before the company, on the basis of the approved project description, can prepare the environmental and social studies \u2013 the so-called EIA and SIA reports. Only then can they <\/em>be sent out for public consultation <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That takes 8 weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jameson
Photo: Naalakkersuisut<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After that, the material must again be processed by both the company and Naalakkersuisut before negotiations on a so-called IBA agreement can begin. This is the agreement intended to ensure that the Greenlandic society benefits from the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means that even if Greenland Energy submitted the project description today, approval would not be in place until 8 November at the earliest \u2013 provided that all subsequent steps are completed in record time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that is not possible, confirms the head of the Ministry of Mineral Resources, J\u00f8rgen Hammeken-Holm, to Danwatch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that arithmetic, they cannot drill this winter as they are planning, can they?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d the department head says briefly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Omitting a key prerequisite<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The two planned drilling sites in Jameson Land are located in so-called RAMSAR areas, which are internationally protected wetlands. And that puts additional time pressure on Greenland Energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To protect the fragile Arctic nature, drilling may only take place in winter. However, the heavy drilling equipment must be transported in during the summer, while the fjord is navigable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A missing permit this year therefore means that Greenland Energy will have to wait until the next drilling season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That message stands in stark contrast to Greenland Energy\u2019s own description of the project\u2019s progress:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlthough drilling has not yet begun, the extensive work continues every day to ensure that the project stays on schedule,\u201d the company wrote to investors on Thursday<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stock exchange announcement also states that \u201cthe parties have agreed to focus the 2026\u20132027 winter programme on one exploration well\u201d rather than two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

J\u00f8rgen Hammeken-Holm confirms that he has spoken with Greenland Energy about the possibility of drilling only one well this winter. By and large, the statements in the stock exchange announcement are correct, he says. However, there is a big \u201cbut\u201d: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey omit something absolutely essential. Namely, that it can only be done under significant prerequisites \u2013 and that is if<\/em> they have permits. And they will not obtain those this year,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reprimand and warning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is not the first time Greenland Energy has faced criticism for its public statements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just under a month ago \u2013 in connection with a demonstration against the oil project<\/a> \u2013 Greenland\u2019s foreign affairs minister, M\u00fate B. Egede, wrote on Facebook that the US oil company has \u201cspoken far too confidently\u201d and \u201cwithout respect for Greenland\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n