Incoming US President Donald Trump has criticised the use of wind turbines in the North Sea, in support of US oil interests in the area.
Trump called for the UK to "open up" the North Sea on Truth Social, his own social media platform. He was responding to reports that the US oil company Apache is halting its drilling activities in the North Sea due to the windfall tax it must pay in the United Kingdom, who would use the revenue to fund new renewable energy projects.
"The United Kingdom is making a big mistake. Open up the North Sea, away with windmills," Trump posted on social media. Many believe this to be an attack on the new Labour government, who pledged in its election manifesto not to issue any new licences for drilling in the North Sea as part of the UK’s efforts to achieve net zero.
Every country in the North Sea is allowed to use a certain area for economic purposes. For Belgium, this comes down to 3,454 km². Currently, it has 15.1% of that space reserved for wind farms, and by 2030, Belgium wants to build some 6 Gigawatts of wind turbines in the area.
Yet Trump's attack comes after a difficult few years for the wind sector, which has been hampered by high costs, supply chain problems and rising interest rates. The Republican had previously vowed to put an end to "horrible" wind turbines on day one of his presidency.
US President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
Businessman becomes Dutch Ambassador
On Thursday, Trump also named businessman Joe Popolo as the new US Ambassador to the Netherlands. Popolo currently leads an investment firm he founded and serves on the board of several companies.
"Joe is a successful businessman and an active philanthropist in many different sectors," the president-elect stated on his Truth Social platform two weeks before his inauguration.
The US ambassador to the Netherlands post has been held by diplomat Shefali Razdan Duggal since 2022. Her predecessor, Pete Hoekstra, was appointed by Trump in November as Ambassador to Canada.
