Greenland Energy Company delayed its drilling plans until winter 2027 after Greenland issued a government warning over drilling equipment that had been moved to the territory without permission. The move pushed the project back after the dispute over approvals and permits surfaced.
On Aug. 11, Greenland Energy said it would abide by all of Greenland’s regulations and shift its drilling timetable to winter 2027. That followed a July 30 warning from Greenland, which said it had become aware that a subsidiary of 80 Mile PLC had moved drilling gear to Greenland’s east coast.
Lyle Whitmarsh on the rig
Lyle Whitmarsh, the CEO of Stampede Drilling, said in an emailed statement to Global News that Greenland Energy Company had provided US$4 million in upfront capital funding toward rig upgrades. Whitmarsh also said: “It has not been transported to, landed in or operated in Greenland, and Stampede Drilling Inc. has not conducted any drilling activity in Greenland.”
That detail narrows the dispute to two separate claims about the same project: Greenland says drilling equipment was moved onto the island without permission, while Stampede Drilling says its rig stayed in Canada and was not used in Greenland. The difference matters because Greenland tied the issue to approvals and permits, not just to whether a rig had been readied in Canada for Arctic work.
Greenland’s permit warning
Greenland said the drilling plans were unauthorized and that the U.S. company did not have the proper approvals and permits to conduct that work. Greenland also said the permit that had previously been granted to a British firm was no longer valid, and that a strong warning would be sent to the rights holder with a reprimand stating that all future logistical matters must be notified and approved by the Mineral Resources Authority before they are carried out.
Greenland Energy said in May that it had signed an agreement with Stampede Drilling to provide a high-performance drilling rig for operations in Greenland’s Jameson Land Basin. Greenland Energy described the basin as one of the largest underexplored conventional hydrocarbon basins in the Western world.
Arctic drilling in Greenland
The project sits inside a larger pattern in Greenland, where drilling infrastructure has become a political and regulatory issue as U.S. interest in the island has drawn attention. Months after Donald Trump escalated his threats to annex Greenland, Greenland pushed back against the setting up of drilling infrastructure by a U.S. oil company on its territory without permission.
For Greenland Energy, the immediate next step is not a new drilling move but compliance with Greenland’s rules before any logistics are carried out. The company has already pushed its timetable to winter 2027, and the practical question now is whether the Mineral Resources Authority will approve any future movement of equipment before work resumes.
