2 days Ago By DC Correspondent
United States President-elect Donald Trump, a long-time critic of wind farms, took to his social media platform, Truth Social, on Friday to criticise the British government’s energy policy. He demanded that the UK "open up" the ageing North Sea oil and gas basin and "get rid of windmills." “The UK is making a very big mistake.
Open up the North Sea. Get rid of Windmills!” Trump said, reigniting debates about the UK's renewable energy goals and fossil fuel reliance. Trump’s stance on wind farms is well-documented; in 2015, he unsuccessfully opposed plans to construct one near his luxury golf course in Scotland.
The North Sea, one of the world’s oldest offshore oil and gas basins, has seen production steadily decline from a peak of 4.4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) at the start of the millennium to around 1.3 million boed currently.
Oil and gas companies have been exiting the region to focus on newer basins, citing declining production and high operational costs. Trump's post included a link to a report about APA Corp's plans to exit the North Sea by the end of 2029, with production expected to drop by 20% year-on-year in 2025. At the same time, the North Sea has become one of the world’s largest offshore wind regions.
However, the growth of the sector has slowed recently due to rising costs, technical challenges, and supply chain issues. Developers like Ørsted, the world’s largest offshore wind company, have trimmed their investment and capacity targets, citing ballooning expenses. The UK government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, is committed to building a low-carbon economy.
It aims to quadruple offshore wind generation capacity to 60 gigawatts by 2030 as part of its efforts to decarbonize the power sector and improve air quality. In October, the British government raised the windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers from 35% to 38% and extended the levy by one year. The revenue generated is intended to fund renewable energy projects.
Despite these efforts, critics argue the policy could stifle investment. Some oil and gas companies have sold assets, merged operations, or diversified to other regions to mitigate losses. Claire Coutinho, the opposition Conservative Party’s shadow energy minister, responded to Trump’s remarks on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “No other major economy is shutting down its domestic oil and gas production.
.. It’s totally mad.
” While Britain is overseeing major offshore wind farm development, the sector faces hurdles. Rising costs have led some developers to reconsider investments in wind farms located over 100 km (60 miles) offshore. The UK has pledged to largely decarbonize its power sector by 2030, a goal requiring reduced reliance on gas-fired power plants and a rapid increase in renewable energy capacity.
The North Sea Transition Authority, the UK’s offshore oil and gas regulator, declined to comment on Trump’s post. Britain’s energy security department has not yet responded to requests for comment..
