US president Donald Trump has said “Aberdeen should be booming” as he said the UK Government is “absolutely crazy” not to boost oil and gas extraction in the North Sea.
Mr Trump took to his Truth Social page on Tuesday to criticise UK policy in the basin, with the Labour-led Government moving towards renewable energy.
In the seemingly unprompted post, the US leader said: “Europe is desperate for Energy, and yet the United Kingdom refuses to open North Sea Oil, one of the greatest fields in the World. Tragic!!!
“Aberdeen should be booming. Norway sells its North Sea Oil to the U.K. at double the price. They are making a fortune. U.K., which is better situated on the North Sea for purposes of energy than Norway, should, DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!!
“It is absolutely crazy that they don’t… AND, NO MORE WINDMILLS!”
The US president has long voiced his dislike of wind energy, particularly offshore wind, having launched a battle with the Scottish Government to stop a development which was visible from his Aberdeenshire golf course.
His comments are the latest in a line of outbursts about the UK’s energy policy, including a Truth Social post where he urged the Government to “incentivise the drillers”.
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said he did not agree with Mr Trump.
He said during Channel 4’s Holyrood election debate: “I don’t agree with President Trump about drill, baby, drill.
“I think we’ve got enormous challenges about energy but Scotland is an energy-rich country which is developing formidable renewable energy resources.”
Mr Swinney said “the problem for Scotland” was “the same problem we had in the 1970s with oil”.
“We don’t see the economic benefit of the energy wealth of Scotland, and I want to make sure Scotland’s energy is in Scotland’s hands,” he said.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar criticised the US president for trying to “dictate” to Scotland but said the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil fields should be allowed to open.
Malcolm Offord, Reform UK Scotland leader, said he agreed with Mr Trump, while the Scottish Greens said new oil exploration was “not compatible” with the climate crisis.
A spokesperson for the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “We are taking action to bear down on the cost of living, including taking £117 off average energy bills this month and supporting de-escalation in the Middle East.
“The lesson of yet another fossil fuel crisis is the UK needs to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster and on to clean homegrown power we control.”
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) by the Press Association revealed that there were 351 Seaward Production Licences in force in the UK Continental Shelf as of March 4.
An NSTA letter to the Environmental Audit Committee in September 2022 set out that from 2004 onwards, the average time from licence award to production is approximately five years – including both old and new discoveries.
